Born in Ffrwd, near Wrexham, Powell began his football career with Druids in 1879,[1] with whom he won the Welsh Cup three times and reached the final twice more.

After moving to Manchester to become a fitter with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway at their carriage and wagon works in Newton Heath, he joined the company's football team and played in their first major competitive fixture, an FA Cup First round tie away to Fleetwood Rangers on 30 October 1886; the match finished in a 2–2 draw, but Newton Heath were eliminated after refusing to play extra time.

He played in all but one match in Newton Heath's first season of organised league football in 1888–89, when they were awarded The Combination title despite not all the teams having completed their fixture schedules.

However, it proved to be Powell's last full season with the club, as he only played four more games in 1890–91, his final competitive appearance coming in the FA Cup second round qualifying defeat to Bootle Reserves on 25 October 1890.

[5] After his retirement from football, Powell continued to work for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway before becoming a pub licensee in Manchester and later Wrexham.