From non-league to England selection - who is the ‘Grealish of Guernsey’ Scott?

Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior England squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player stated previously.

“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for myself and my family.”

But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?

Developing in the lower tiers

Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.

He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was a thing I definitely needed.

“Building some confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“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,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.

“On the Wednesday 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 certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

In just 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.

He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s best XI 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’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.

Within 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.

“I had a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.

“It was almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”