Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.
Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the full Three Lions squad.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a story seldom told in the modern game.
What’s next? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and representing England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”
So in what way did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Learning in non-league
His football journey has been far from a conventional one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on the island and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely required.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the professional game
Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
In just a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.
His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“It was almost another setback and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”
But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.
He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and get my chance.”
