There's only one Mark Tyler...
Town goalkeeper Mark Tyler made his 250th appearance for the club in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Burton Albion.
It might not have been the best way to mark the occasion but the experienced stopper was not too downhearted afterwards, claiming that the Town did all they could to get a result on their first trip to the Pirelli.
However, the result aside, here’s the goalkeeper’s Town career and achievements in numbers.
1 – Tyler made his Hatters debut on Saturday 8th August 2009 in the 1-1 draw at AFC Wimbledon. It was the Town’s first game in the Conference.
104 – The 37-year-old has kept a total of 104 clean sheets whilst keeping guard of the Hatters’ goal over the past five-and-a-bit seasons. 23 of those came in 46 Conference matches last season as the Town romped to the title. Tyler’s first clean sheet came on 18th August 2009 in the 1-0 win at Forest Green Rovers.
133 – The Hatters’ record when Tyler has been between the sticks reads 133 wins, 66 draws and 51 defeats. The first time he tasted defeat in Luton colours came at Oxford on 8th September 2009. In that game he saved a penalty from James Constable in the third minute.
4 – Tyler lies fourth in the all-time appearance chart of Hatters goalkeepers – and is among some very good company indeed. Leading the way is former English international stopper Ron Baynham, who played 434 times for the Town. Bernard Streten – who also played for England – made 299 appearances for the Hatters, and Les Sealey sits in third place having played 259 games.
4,140 – Last season Tyler was the only Hatters player to play every single minute of every match in the Conference-winning campaign.
200 – Before the start of this season Tyler had made 199 League (or, Conference), appearances for the Town. The game at Carlisle was his first in the Football League and 200th in League competition. The rest of the keeper’s 250 games are made up of 13 FA Cup ties and 19 in other competitions, including the FA Trophy.
4 – Tyler currently has Elliot Justham for competition for the number one shirt. But in previous seasons the Town stopper had rivalry for the keeper’s jersey from Shane Gore, Kevin Pilkington and Dean Brill.
2012 – The year of Tyler’s favourite moment with the Hatters, when he kept a clean sheet in the Town’s history-making 1-0 victory over his boyhood, hometown club Norwich City – the keeper’s favourite moment while at Kenilworth Road.
2,000 – Town supporters chanting “one Mark Tyler” prior to Saturday’s game at Burton Albion. “I have always enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the fans,” Tyler said afterwards.