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When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper blast from the past, a story rarely seen in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” the player said previously.

“It’s been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my family.”

But in what way did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Learning in non-league

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood again was a thing I really needed.

“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his early progress after an impressive beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” said the player. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus Luton.

Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was voted the club’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.

Within three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.

“I had quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.

“That felt like almost another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”

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 formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to the top five in the table.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”