He played irregularly over the next two and a half seasons, helping the club gain promotion to the Third Division in 1981,[4] and scoring winning goals against Crystal Palace,[5] Millwall[6] and Fulham that contributed to their avoiding relegation in 1981–82.
[7] He spent the 1983–84 season back in the Fourth Division with Halifax Town before moving into the Northern Premier League with Burton Albion.
[10] Partnered in attack by Phil Walker or Stewart Hamill, Mell was Scarborough's leading scorer with 16 Conference goals (18 in all competitions) as they won the division, six points clear of favourites Barnet, to become the first team to benefit from the introduction of direct promotion and relegation between Conference and League in place of the longstanding re-election system.
[11][12] He scored at each end of the run of 13 consecutive away wins that made a major contribution to their progression from mid-season mid-table to the penultimate game of the season that confirmed them as champions.
[13] Mell scored Scarborough's first goal in the Football League,[14] on the opening day of the 1987–88 season, a 2–2 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers marred by £20,000-worth of damage to the ground, fighting on the terraces, 54 arrests, and a visiting supporter falling through the roof of a stand.