Jack Griffin: How Alex Scott inspired Guernsey's latest professional football hope

Jack Griffin is the fourth Guernsey FC player in five years to move to Bristol City

When Bournemouth's Alex Scott scored his first Premier League goal at Tottenham on New Year's Eve, a 16-year-old striker in his home island of Guernsey became even more inspired to follow in his footsteps.

Jack Griffin is the fourth player from Guernsey FC - who play in the eighth-tier Isthmian League South central - to move from the island to the academy of Championship side Bristol City.

It was a path first walked by Scott just over four years ago and the midfielder has gone on to star for England Under-20s and earn a £25m move from the Robins to the Premier League.

"It gives me so much inspiration to push on and work as hard as I can and take very moment as it comes," 16-year-old Griffin told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"Hopefully I can get into the Premier League, it's the biggest league in the world and everyone wants to play there, and scoring in it would be an amazing feeling."

Unsurprisingly, on an island with less than 70,000 people, Griffin knows Scott well.

Alex Scott scored his first Premier League goal for Bournemouth on Sunday - the first Guernsey player to score a top-flight goal since Matt le Tissier in May 2001

The 20-year-old has become a local sporting hero after being dubbed the 'Guernsey Grealish' at Bristol City, for his style of play that reminds some of England and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish.

"I keep in touch with Alex quite a lot, we're good family friends of his family so we're always speaking to them," says Griffin, who also follows Ben Acey and Tim Ap Sion in moving to Ashton Gate.

"They're always telling us how he's doing, what's happening."

For his old manager at Guernsey FC, Tony Vance, Griffin's move is a vindication for the long hours spent travelling off the island for matches.

The club was set up in 2011 and was the first side from the Channel Islands to play in an English league, the idea being to give local players exposure to a higher standard of football than they could get in the island's limited domestic league.

"We've got four examples now, which is fantastic," Vance says proudly.

"Jack's been doing really well and so we sent him over to Bristol City, and he did well on his trials and they like what they see.

Guernsey boss Tony Vance holds up a board to introduce Alex Scott (right) on to the field when he was a 16-year-old playing for the island side

"He's a natural goalscorer, tremendous work ethic and a lovely lad."

Griffin leaves his side when they could probably do with keeping him - Guernsey have won just four matches all season and are only five points above the relegation places.

Griffin scored a late winner 10 days ago away at Binfield in a key game at the foot of the table, and leaves having scored three times in 15 league appearances.

"It does have a huge impact because ultimately if we had those four players we'd probably be promoted," says Vance.

"But it's not about that, it's about the players and that's what we were set up to do, so it's another fantastic example really and I'm really excited for Jack and I hope he does well."