He appeared at Wembley Stadium three times with Northwich Victoria in FA Trophy finals.
In 1982–83, Abel was part of the Northwich side that lost 2–1 to Telford United in the FA Trophy final, but a year later he helped the Vics beat Bangor City in a replay.
He remained a regular with the Blues until he was released at the end of the 1992–93 season, with his impressive tally of 30 goals helped by a strong penalty taking record and occasional spells at centre-forward.
Abel also holds the honour of scoring the final Football League goal at Sealand Road, in a 2–0 win for Chester over Rotherham United on 28 April 1990.
[3] Abel remained in Cheshire and the Football League by joining Crewe Alexandra, who achieved promotion in his solitary season at the club.