Rising from non-league to national team selection - the story of ‘Guernsey Grealish’ Alex Scott?

Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.

Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott said previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have changed completely for myself and my family.”

But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?

Learning in non-league

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

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity 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 stay on the island and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.

“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.

“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the pro ranks

Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, returned home 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 a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.

Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

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

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Less than 90 days after, he joined the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

Getting his big move

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the team.

His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.

“I had a decent run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.

“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”

But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under the national coach.

And he has started this season equally as strongly for his club, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”