Bell was born in Alsager, Cheshire He is a product of the Crewe Alexandra academy system, having signed schoolboy terms with the club in 1997, on the same day as David Vaughan.

[8] However, in the 2003–04 season, Bell lost his first team place following the arrival of Justin Cochrane[9] and joined Football Conference side, Shrewsbury on loan in October 2003,[10] but an injury restricted his opportunities and he returned to Crewe in January 2004.

[11] Bell established himself in the first team in December 2004, starting 18 times in the remainder of the 2004–05 season,[12] and signed a new two-year contract in June 2005.

[13] After falling down the pecking order at the start of the 2005–06 season, Bell joined Burton Albion on a one-month loan in October 2005,[14] which was extended for a further month.

[20] After being limited to one first team appearance, he had a request to leave Crewe granted in January 2007,[21] and joined Burton Albion on a contract until the end of the season.

[39] Bell was re-signed by Crewe Alexandra on a two-year contract in May 2010, with manager Dario Gradi looking to add experience to the squad.

[41] Bell's first appearance since leaving the club three years earlier came in the opening game of the season, when they lost 1–0 to Hereford United.

[45][46] He went on to make 44 league appearances for the club during the 2011–12 season, having missed one game due to suspension after accumulating five yellow cards.

[53] However, he was released by new boss Steve Davis a few days later, and was heavily linked with a move to nearby Port Vale.

[57] Bell re-debut for Burton Albion for the third time in the first round of League Cup, in a 2–2 draw against Sheffield United and played 120 minutes.

[59] After serving a suspension, Bell was able to make amends when he scored his first Burton Albion goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over York City on 19 September 2012.

Bell, however, received a four-game suspension for a red card given towards the end of the season and was unavailable for the final, should Burton Albion have reached it.

[73] After making a brief return against Mansfield Town,[74] Bell find himself competing with newly signing John Mousinho over the starting eleven squad.

[79] Bell's first appearance for Macclesfield Town since leaving the club five years earlier came on 7 February 2015, playing 90 minutes, in a 3–2 win over Welling United.

[90] On 17 February 2024, Bell confronted the referee David Rock immediately after the final whistle of the club's goalless draw against Harrogate Town at Gresty Road.

He was red-carded and later handed a one-game touchline ban, forcing him to watch Crewe play Morecambe on 2 March 2024 from the stands.