Reading Tyson began his career at
Reading as part of the
youth academy, and made his first team debut on 29 April 2000, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for
Darius Henderson in a 1–1 draw with
Bury at
Gigg Lane. In August 2001, he joined
Swansea City of the
Third Division on an initial one-month loan. On 29 September, he was sent off for a foul on goalkeeper
Stuart Brock two minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 win over
Kidderminster Harriers at
Aggborough, though manager
Colin Addison said that he intended to appeal the decision as Tyson was "only a fraction from taking the ball". Tyson scored his first goal in
the Football League on 23 October, helping the "Swans" to a 2–0 win over
Darlington at
Vetch Field. He returned to the Third Division towards the end of the
2001–02 season, joining
Cheltenham Town on loan in March 2002. Manager
Steve Cotterill signed him to help the club push for the play-offs, and Tyson scored one goal from one start and seven substitute appearances in the league, but did not feature in the play-offs as the "Robins" went on to secure promotion with a 3–1 victory over
Rushden & Diamonds in the
play-off final. Reading qualified for the play-offs at the end of the campaign, though Tyson was sent off in the play-off semi-final first leg defeat to
Wolverhampton Wanderers after fouling
Paul Butler and then using abusive language.
Wycombe Wanderers In December 2003, Tyson joined
Second Division side
Wycombe Wanderers on a short-term loan, although had to return to Reading early the next month for treatment on a knee injury. After impressing manager
Tony Adams, Tyson was signed for an undisclosed transfer fee in March 2004 and agreed a two-year contract. He finished as the club's top-scorer during the
2004–05 season with 22 goals in 42 league appearances, and also won the club's Player of the Year award. During the close season, Tyson was the subject of three bids from
Sheffield Wednesday, all of which were turned down by Wycombe. He began the
2005–06 season with 13 goals in 19 games, making him the top-scorer in the English leagues at the end of September. Sheffield Wednesday had a £700,000 bid accepted in October, but Tyson rejected the move. Tyson stated that he was "flattered" and said "I'm not worth that. How many houses can you buy for £750,000?" He was also linked with moves to Wolverhampton Wanderers and
Hull City. His goal glut was quickly followed by a run of six games without a goal, which led manager
John Gorman to claim that "his attitude has been fantastic and he'll bounce straight back".
Nottingham Forest In November 2005, Tyson joined
League One side
Nottingham Forest on loan until January, at which point he signed a permanent deal with the club for a fee of £675,000. He ended the
2005–06 campaign with ten goals in 28 appearances. He was injured just minutes into Forest's opening game of the
2006–07 season against
Bradford City on 5 August, which kept him out of action for three months. On 9 December, he scored an eight-minute first half hat-trick in a 4–1 win over
Crewe Alexandra at
Gresty Road. He ended the season with nine goals in 30 games. He scored 12 goals in 39 league and cup competitions in the
2007–08 season, helping Forest to secure runners-up spot in League One and thereby win promotion to the
Championship. In May 2008, he was the subject of a £750,000 bid from
Bristol City, which was rejected. In January 2009, Tyson signed a new contract to keep him at the
City Ground until the summer of 2011. On 22 January, he scored a volleyed goal to help Forest to beat
Premier League side
Manchester City 3–0 in the Third Round of the
FA Cup. On 29 August 2009, Tyson waved a Nottingham Forest flag in front of the Derby fans after the final whistle of a 3–2
East Midlands derby victory. He was defended by manager
Billy Davies but received a fine of £5,000 and a two-game suspended ban for the incident. He scored just four goals in 75 appearances in the
2009–10 and
2010–11 seasons, though was often only entering the game as a substitute. He left the club in May 2011 after rejecting the offer of a new contract.
Derby County In June 2011, Tyson signed a three-year contract with Derby County. He made his "Rams" debut in a 2–1 win over former club Nottingham Forest on 17 September. However, he made only two brief appearances in the first half of the
2011–12 season after struggling with groin problems. He scored his first goal for the club in the opening game of the
2012–13 season against
Scunthorpe United in the
League Cup on 14 August, a match which Derby drew 5–5 and lost 7-6 on penalties. He scored his first league goal four days later, in a 2–2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. After the match it was reported that fellow Championship side
Huddersfield Town were interested in signing Tyson on loan. Tyson fell down the first team pecking order at Derby behind
Conor Sammon,
Chris Martin,
Johnny Russell, and
Mason Bennett. On 16 January 2013, Tyson joined
Millwall on loan until the end of the
2012–13 season. Manager
Kenny Jackett said that "he has experience of the division [Championship], which at times we've lacked, and he brings pace to our front line". He made his "lions" debut as a half-time substitute in a 2–0 home defeat against
Burnley on 19 January; during this game he picked up ligament damage, with an initial prognosis before a scan ruling him out for a month. He failed to score and only managed four appearances as he struggled with injuries during his time at
The Den. He was transfer listed by Derby in May 2013. He stated that he was unhappy at finding this fact out through the media and said that manager
Nigel Clough did not tell him that he was placed on the transfer list.
Blackpool In September 2013, Tyson joined Championship club
Blackpool on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract with an option of a second. On 21 November 2013, Nathan joined
League Two side
Fleetwood Town on loan until 1 January 2014. On 3 March 2014, he joined League One side
Notts County on an initial one-month loan, which was later extended until the end of the season. He failed to score in either of his loan spells or for his parent club in a total of 25 appearances in the
2013–14 season.
Doncaster Rovers In July 2014, Tyson signed a one-year contract with League One club
Doncaster Rovers after impressing on a three-week trial. He triggered a one-year contract extension in April 2015, and said he "rediscovered his love for football" playing under
Paul Dickov. He scored a hat-trick on the last day of the
2014–15 season, in a 5–2 win over Scunthorpe United at the
Keepmoat Stadium on 3 May. This took him to a final tally of 14 goals in 44 games in all competitions to finish the season as the club's top-scorer, and he was also voted the club's Player of the Year. He then scored seven goals in 36 games in the
2015–16 season as Rovers were relegated into League Two. He lost his first team place to new-signing
Gary McSheffrey in March 2016, and manager
Darren Ferguson agreed to activate a release in Tyson's contract in June 2016 despite the striker only signing a new one-year contract three months earlier. He joined
Port Vale on trial in July 2016, and manager
Bruno Ribeiro told the media that he would sign the player if the club's finances allowed it.
Kilmarnock Tyson signed for
Kilmarnock on 12 September 2016, having agreed a contract to the end of the 2016–17 season. Kilmarnock announced in their match programme on 5 April 2017, that Tyson had been released from his contract.
Wycombe Wanderers (second spell) On 3 July 2017, Wycombe Wanderers announced that Tyson had returned to the club on trial. After playing in some of Wycombe's pre-season friendlies, it was announced on 25 July 2017, that Tyson had signed a one-year deal to return to Wycombe. On 23 April 2018, Tyson signed a one-year extension keeping him at Wycombe Wanderers until the summer of 2019.
Non-League He was released by Wycombe at the end of the 2018–19 season. Then went on to sign on for Chesterfield following the 2020-21 season. On 22 January 2022, Tyson signed for
Alfreton Town on a one-month loan from Chesterfield. Tyson was released by Chesterfield at the end of the 2021–22 season. In July 2022, he dropped down to newly-relegated
Northern Premier League Division One East side
Grantham Town following his release from Chesterfield. Tyson joined
Ilkeston Town prior to the commencement of the
2023–24 season following an impressive pre-season. On 15 August 2023, he scored his debut goal in a 4-0 win over
Gainsborough Trinity. In September 2023, he briefly joined
Long Eaton United before signing for
Basford United in December of that year. Tyson left Basford United, subsequently joining
Clay Cross Town F.C., of the
United Counties League, ahead of the 2024/25 season. but did not play again for the club. ==International career==