Born in Belfast, Scott played football for Boyland Youth Club and Ormond Star in Northern Ireland, before moving to England as an apprentice with Manchester United.
[2] Scott flourished at Grimsby, his performances catching the attention of the Northern Irish selectors, who called him up for a B international in 1957, before naming him in the squad for the 1958 World Cup.
Scott played for Grimsby for a total of seven seasons, making 250 appearances in all competitions and scoring 54 goals.
In two seasons at Margate, he played in 95 matches and scored 26 goals, before retiring to Manchester.
Scott played in two matches at the 1958 FIFA World Cup; a 2–1 victory over Czechoslovakia and a 4–0 defeat to France in the quarter-finals.