Born in Glasgow, Aitken began his career with Petershill where he helped the club win the Scottish Junior Cup.
[1] After a spell with Third Lanark,[3][4] Aitken moved to England to sign for Football League Second Division side Bury.
His performances, as the side came close to winning promotion to the First Division,[3] led Blackburn Rovers to pay more than £2,000 to sign him from Bury in May 1921, the record amount the club had received for a player at the time.
[1] However, he struggled to break into the first team at Blackburn, making only two league appearances before being released at the end of the 1921–22 season.
[1] He departed Southport for Bradford Park Avenue in June 1926 but was forced to retire after eleven appearances after aggravating a thigh muscle injury when he attempted to return to action too quickly.