From Non-league To England Call-up - Who Is 'guernsey Grealish' Scott?

When Alex Scott came connected to make his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports successful beforehand of 55 group successful 2019, his head astatine nan clip promised "there's much to travel from this boy".

That was astir apt a spot of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular pinch Bournemouth, nan midfielder has conscionable received his first call-up to nan elder England squad.

His emergence from non-league prodigy successful nan eighth tier of English shot to imaginable world prima is simply a due throwback, a communicative seldom told successful nan modern game.

Next stop: nan World Cup?

"In my mind then, location was location was nary chance of becoming a master shot subordinate fto unsocial playing successful nan Premier League and playing for England arsenic well," Scott told BBC Radio Guernsey successful September.

"It's been a crazy 5 aliases six years of my life and and things person changed drastically for maine and my family."

So really did Scott, known affectionately arsenic nan 'Guernsey Grealish', extremity up here?

Scott's shot travel has not been a accepted one.

He spent 4 and a half years arsenic portion of Southampton's academy setup from nan property of eight, leaving schoolhouse early each Friday to alert from his location connected Guernsey to nan southbound seashore truthful he could be training and play for nan Saints' younker teams.

Before he turned 13, however, they decided to fto him go. Bournemouth were consenting to connection Scott an opportunity and he was connected nan Cherries' books for a while but, by nan player's ain admission, his bosom was not successful it.

Instead, he opted to enactment connected Guernsey and play for his section team.

"I wasn't playing very good and flying complete each week was becoming a spot excessively much," he told BBC Sport successful 2023.

"I conscionable wanted to chill astatine location pinch my friends astatine weekends because I missed almost 4 and a half years of doing that. To person that small spot of puerility backmost was thing I decidedly needed.

"To summation immoderate assurance by coming backmost and playing section shot was immense for me. It was astir apt 1 of nan astir important things that sewage maine wherever I americium today."

At nan property of 16, Scott became nan youngest subordinate successful Guernsey's history erstwhile he came connected arsenic a 57th-minute substitute successful their Isthmian League Division One South East crippled astatine Phoenix Sports.

"I've been having sleepless nights because I was trying to activity retired really I could get him successful nan squad because he's that good," Guernsey leader Tony Vance told BBC Radio Guernsey astatine nan time.

"Everyone's now seen that - his retention of nan shot is outstanding, nan measurement he runs pinch nan ball, he's a people act."

Championship broadside Bristol City - owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown - had been search Scott's early advancement aft an awesome commencement successful big shot and gave him a proceedings successful December 2019.

"It was chaos," said Scott. "The first time I trained pinch nan under-18s, nan 2nd time I trained pinch nan first team, which was a complete shock.

"On nan Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC successful London, travelled backmost and connected nan Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done woody for maine to motion a contract."

Within 18 months, still immoderate measurement short of his 18th birthday, he was making his elder debut against Luton.

Scott went connected to make 83 convention appearances for nan Robins while still a teenager, often being utilized arsenic a wing-back - and sometimes further guardant arsenic a number 10 - specified was his adaptability and versatility. Even astatine that young property and playing retired of position he was their champion player.

With his expertise to transportation nan shot forward, and pinch his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up nan nickname 'the Guernsey Grealish', a motion to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At nan extremity of nan 2022-23 run he won nan EFL Championship's young subordinate of nan season, was selected successful nan division's squad of nan twelvemonth and was named Bristol City's subordinate and young subordinate of nan Year.

"No uncertainty astir that, I deliberation he'll play for England and I deliberation he'll spell connected to nan apical of nan game," Nigel Pearson, Scott's head astatine Ashton Gate, told BBC Radio Bristol successful May 2023.

Less than 3 months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported interest of £25m.

Scott endured a difficult first play pinch nan Cherries, having to hold until October to make his Premier League debut aft a knee wounded successful pre-season, and past uncovering himself successful and retired of nan team.

His 2nd run was arsenic disrupted, this clip by a knee cognition which ruled him retired for astir 4 months.

"I had rather a bully tally astatine nan extremity of past season, which was bully to have, past I collapsed my jaw," said Scott.

"It was almost different setback and it [2025] was turning retired to beryllium rather a unspeakable twelvemonth for nan first 5 months."

But he was past called up by England for nan Under-21 European Championships - and managed to get himself fresh successful time.

He went connected to commencement 5 of nan Young Lions' six matches arsenic they went connected to triumph nan tourney successful Slovakia, processing a formidable business successful midfield pinch Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone connected to impressment for nan elder broadside nether Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started this play arsenic as impressively for Bournemouth, playing successful each crippled to thief them to 5th successful nan table.

"To play for nan England elder squad would beryllium 1 of nan proudest moments of my life," Scott said earlier this season.

"It's down to me, I've sewage to support progressing arsenic a footballer, support enjoying football, improving time connected day, and hopefully I impressment nan England head and get my chance."