Rising from non-league all the way to England call-up - who is ‘Guernsey Grealish’ Scott?

When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.

“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for me and my family.”

But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s path in football has been far from a conventional one.

He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I really needed.

“Building a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been monitoring his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.

“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I played for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

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

Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his skill to carry 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 Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.

Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood fee of £25m.

Securing his major transfer

Scott endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.

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

“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was yet another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first half.”

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

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the competition in Slovakia, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the standings.

“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”