 Before his football career, he worked at the John Brown & Company's shipyard on the River Clyde in Glasgow, where he lost sight in one eye due to an accident in 1869.Lang's playing career started with Glasgow's Eastern, from where he moved to Clydesdale and then Third Lanark.While with Clydesdale he played in the first ever Scottish Cup final in 1874, losing 2–0 against Queen's Park.