Signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of 18 and made his debut on 26 November 1977 in a 0-0 home draw with Ipswich Town.

Mel made 169 league appearances for the Wolves, scoring 44 goals and was part of the League Cup winning side at Wembley, beating Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest 1-0 in 1980.

Called up to the England 'B' squad at the end of 1978, Mel was top scorer at Molineux for two consecutive seasons - 1981/82 and 1982/83.

A loan spell at Huddersfield Town early in 1984 saw him make 7 appearances, finding the net on 4 occasions. He was transferred to Sheffield United in December of that year and won Player of the Year in his first season at Bramall Lane.

Two years at Gillingham followed, playing along side a youthful up and coming Tony Cascarino before finishing his career with a six month stint at local Walsall.