When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”
This prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a story seldom seen in the modern game.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.
Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.
“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”
At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.
“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.
“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made eighty-three league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.
With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and national team playmaker Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, stated previously.
Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.
Getting his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.
His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.
“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
