Early career Born in
Stourbridge, Bell supported
West Bromwich Albion as a child and spent time on trial with the club at the age of 15, having previously played reserve team football for
Halesowen Town as a left winger in the Worcestershire Combination League. West Brom manager
Jimmy Hagan offered Bell an amateur deal at
The Hawthorns but he never played a senior match for the club. Bell took a job working at Halesowen steelworks during his time with the
Baggies. Bell was offered a contract by non-league side
Lower Gornal Athletic when their manager, Fred Whittle, visited Bell's home. Despite his father recommending that he stay with West Bromwich as an amateur, Bell accepted the contract, earning six pound a week plus a two-pound win bonus.
Cardiff City Whilst playing for Lower Gornal, Bell was spotted by
Cardiff City and signed professional terms with the club, along with
George Andrews for a combined transfer fee of £2,100, a record amount that still stands for Gornal Athletic. He made his debut in September 1966 as a
left half against
Wolverhampton Wanderers. His debut was far from impressive as he gave away two penalties during a 7–1 defeat by the Midlands side. He struggled to make an impact on the side until he was converted to a left-back by manager
Jimmy Scoular and he established a strong full back pairing with
David Carver. He was a virtual ever present from then on and was part of the Cardiff side that defeated
Real Madrid 1–0 at
Ninian Park in the
1970–71 European Cup Winners' Cup. During the game, Bell was tasked with marking
Spanish international winger
Amancio Amaro and swapped shirts with
Pirri after the match. He was eventually displaced from the side by
Freddie Pethard. He was loaned out to
Hereford United during his last season at Cardiff and was allowed to join
Newport County following his return who were managed by his former teammate
Brian Harris. Bell later moved into Welsh league football with
Bridgend Town. Following his retirement, Bell worked as a mental health rehabilitation worker and later worked alongside other former Cardiff players, such as
Roger Gibbins and
Brian Clark, in the club's hospitality lounges on matchdays. He is still employed by the club in this role. ==Honours==