From grassroots to England selection - the story of the ‘Grealish of Guernsey’ Scott?

Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This statement proved to be something of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated previously.

“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I really required.

“Building some self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their 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 his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.

He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked previously.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

The midfielder endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.

“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”

But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”