Bertie Lutton started as a youth team player for his hometown side Banbridge Town before moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £50 fee in 1967. He signed for Brighton & Hove Albion in 1971 for £5,000 (where he made 30 appearances) and in 1973, for a £25,000 fee, for West Ham United making his debut on 10 February 1973 in a 1–0 away win at Norwich. He played for Northern Ireland whilst at West Ham making him their first player to play for that country.
He made only thirteen appearances for West Ham before moving to Horsham. He joined York City on trial making his debut for their reserve side in a 6-0 win over Halifax Town on 3 March 1975. Unable to continue his footballing career because of injuries, he emigrated to Australia where he went on to play for clubs in the National Soccer League and Victorian State League.