When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the full England squad.
His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated in a recent interview.
“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?
Learning in non-league
Scott’s football journey has not been a conventional one.
He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and play for the Saints’ youth teams.
Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.
Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.
“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that little bit of youth again was something I really required.
“Building a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.
“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in December 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“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, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated previously.
Less than 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Securing his big move
The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost several months.
“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.
“It was yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first half.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.
He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to fifth in the table.
“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott stated recently.
“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”
