An energetic, dynamic right back, Mel's powerful shooting earned him the nickname 'Zico' – after the Brazilian star – and his attacking prowess saw him strike 49 goals for Sheffield Wednesday, many from set-pieces.
He remained a regular player as the Owls continued to progress, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals in 1983 and winning promotion to the First Division a year later after a 14-year exile.
In 1985–86 he enjoyed arguably the finest season of his time at Sheffield Wednesday, if not his whole career, when he played 38 league games and scored eight goals for a side who finished fifth in the First Division but were denied UEFA Cup action due to the ban on English clubs in European competitions following the Heysel disaster of May 1985.
[4] However, on 1 July 1989 Sterland returned to England when he linked up with his former Sheffield Wednesday manager Howard Wilkinson at Leeds United as he built a side geared for promotion.
He helped Leeds make an immediate impact on their return to the top flight as they finished fourth – though this was slightly soured by the fact that although the ban on English clubs in Europe had now been lifted, Leeds were unable to compete in the UEFA Cup as English clubs were only being gradually phased back into the competition with just runners-up Liverpool being admitted for the 1991–92 competition.