When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.
Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey rarely told in the modern era.
Next stop? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” the player said 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.”
So how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?
Developing in non-league
His path in football has not been a typical one.
He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Prior to his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Instead, he chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his local team.
“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.
“All I desired to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth back was something I really needed.
“Building some self-belief by coming back and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”
When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.
“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.
“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”
Making a comeback to the pro ranks
Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.
“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.
“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”
Within 18 months, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.
He went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.
With 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 EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.
Less than 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his big move
Scott endured a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.
His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.
“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.
“That felt like almost another setback and the year was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”
But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said earlier this season.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”
