 The son of a Reggae musician, he was born in Lambeth, London, and his career included spells at English clubs Portsmouth, Derby County, Birmingham City, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, as well as a stint at Colorado Rapids in the USA.Along with his Derby teammate Deon Burton he was one of the "Reggae Boyz" playing for Jamaica in France 98.Powell was sent off in the match versus Argentina in Paris, a 5–0 defeat.