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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.

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

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

What’s next? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.

“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

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

Developing in non-league

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he opted to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.

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

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

“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in December 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I played for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.

Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and England playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion 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 named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.

Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his major transfer

The midfielder experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.

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

“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first half.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has started this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments 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, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”