Mark Tyler

Luton Town Three days after his contract was cancelled, Tyler signed a two-year deal with Conference Premier club Luton Town. Many players from his time at Peterborough were now in the Luton dressing room, including Shane Blackett, Claude Gnakpa, Liam Hatch, Adam Newton and Alan White, with Tyler admitting he would have no problems settling into his new club. Tyler became an instant fan favourite at Kenilworth Road, saving two penalties in his first few months at the club. A broken finger kept Tyler out of action for a portion of the season, though he still made 40 appearances in all competitions in the 2009–10 season, However, Luton missed out on promotion, losing 2–0 to York City on aggregate in the play-off semi-finals.

The 2010–11 season saw Tyler win the Player of the Season award for his performances, helping Luton to reach third position in the table, thus securing a second consecutive play-off place. However, the team lost in a penalty shoot-out to AFC Wimbledon in the 2011 Conference Premier play-off final, with Tyler saving one penalty. At the end of the campaign, he signed a one-year contract extension to stay at Luton until June 2012.

The 2011–12 season saw him dropped at times for second-choice goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington though, in December 2011, Tyler signed a further contract extension to keep him at the club until the summer of 2013. Following Pilkington's decision to join Notts County as goalkeeping coach in February 2012, Tyler played in all games, including the 2–1 defeat to York City in the 2012 Conference Premier play-off final. He was named in the 2011–12 Conference Premier Team of the Year in recognition of his performances, alongside Luton teammate János Kovács.

Tyler made 46 appearances for Luton in all competitions during the 2012–13 season, He made six FA Cup appearances as Luton reached the fifth round, missing out on the chance to become the first non-league club to reach the sixth round in 99 years after losing 3–0 at home to Millwall. However, Tyler kept clean sheets in both of Luton's 1–0 wins over Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round, followed by his boyhood Premier League club Norwich City in the fourth round. He made one appearance in the FA Trophy, a 2–2 draw with Dorchester Town in the first round. Luton were eventually knocked out in a 3–0 defeat to Grimsby Town in the quarter-finals. Tyler signed a one-year extension to his contract in May 2013.

Tyler played in every minute of every league game during the 2013–14 season, as Luton won the Conference Premier title and promotion to League Two. Tyler triggered a contract extension during the season, keeping him at Luton until 2015.

Tyler continued as first-choice goalkeeper for the 2014–15 season, making 31 league appearances, However, a knee injury resulted in him being ruled out for the final third of the campaign and was replaced by Elliot Justham. Luton finished the season eighth, just outside the play-off places.

In the 2015–16 season, Tyler sustained a back injury eight minutes into the first game under the tenure of new Luton manager Nathan Jones, a 0–0 draw with Cambridge United on 16 January 2016. On transfer deadline day during the January transfer window, it was reported Tyler had been approached by Peterborough about a return to the club as cover for Ben Alnwick. However, a transfer failed to materialise, with Tyler claiming Luton had "pulled the plug" on the move, However, Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony later clarified the situation, claiming that Jones was "misinformed" and in fact an approach was made for Tyler's services, but was turned down by Luton. Tyler was recalled to the first-team in a 2–1 win over Hartlepool United on 20 February 2016. He made two further appearances in a 3–2 win over York City on 27 February 2016, followed by a 1–0 win over Morecambe on 1 March 2016. However, Tyler's situation changed once more when it was revealed a re-occurrence of his back injury would keep him out for the rest of the season, as talks with Peterborough resumed about a potential return. This led to Derby County goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell being brought in on loan until the end of the season as Tyler's replacement. Tyler made a total of 31 appearances for Luton during the season in all competitions. He made his first appearance since his return to the club in a 2–0 home defeat to Scunthorpe United on 23 April 2016.

Tyler agreed a one-year permanent playing contract alongside his role as goalkeeping coach following the appointment of Grant McCann as Peterborough United manager on 16 May 2016. His permanent contract officially began on 8 June 2016, following the expiration of his loan spell. Tyler made five appearances for Peterborough in 2016–17,

On 10 May 2021, Tyler formally announced his retirement from professional football aged 44 after making nearly 800 appearances in his career which lasted 27 years. Tyler will continue to work at Peterborough United as goalkeeping coach.

International career Tyler played for the England U17 and England U20 teams. Tyler was an unused substitute behind first team goalkeeper David Lucas for all of their Group F games, which included a 2–1 win over Ivory Coast U20, a 5–0 win over United Arab Emirates U20, and a 1–0 win over Mexico U20. He was also an unused substitute in a 2–1 quarter-final defeat to Argentina U20.

Career statistics

Honours Peterborough United Football League Third Division play-offs: 2000