Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”
This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first call-up to the senior England team.
His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern era.
Next stop? The World Cup?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England too,” Scott said previously.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up at this level?
Developing in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, 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 heart wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of youth back was a thing I really required.
“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.
Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.
By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his major transfer
The midfielder experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.
“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another obstacle and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team with the national coach.
And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.
“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
