Back when the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”
That statement proved to be something of an understatement.
Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.
His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a proper throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.
What’s next? A major tournament?
“Back then, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team as well,” Scott said in a recent interview.
“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”
So how did Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?
Learning in the lower tiers
His football journey has been far from a typical one.
He spent four and a half years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.
Before he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.
Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.
“I wasn’t playing very well 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 nearly four and a half years of doing that. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.
“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me where I am today.”
When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.
“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach commented at the time.
“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he runs with the ball, he’s pure quality.”
Returning to the professional game
Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.
“The whole experience was hectic,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.
“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”
Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut against the Hatters.
He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.
With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.
At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.
“Without question, I believe he will represent his country 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 after, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.
Getting his major transfer
Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until October to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.
His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.
“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.
“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be quite a terrible start for the first five months.”
But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.
He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding 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 impressively for his club, featuring in every game to guide them to fifth in the standings.
“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” the player said recently.
“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”
