Per Bartram (1944-2025)
Greenock Morton Football Club was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former striker and Danish international, Andreas Per Bartram, on 12th May 2025. He was 81 years of age and had played for Morton in two spells in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
By Niall McGilp
Per Bartram first signed for Morton on 7th January 1967, the day before his 23rd birthday. He joined from Odense BK, where he had been a prolific goalscorer credited with 50 goals in 67 League matches. He was a tall, athletic and speedy forward, who could play across the front line, either as a traditional centre forward or wide man.
Injuries limited him to just 7 appearances in 1966/67 as Morton clinched the Second Division Championship, but he scored 6 goals in the final 6 matches of the season, and another 5 in a Renfrewshire Cup semi-final. He started the following season in the same rich scoring form with 11 goals in Morton’s League Cup campaign, before suffering a broken collar bone in a League match against Motherwell, which kept him out of action for 3 months. After a brief goalscoring return he was sidelined again by injury, missing Morton’s run to the Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts, he returned just before the end of that season as Morton clinched 6th place in the League and a European place. He also scored twice in a Renfrewshire Cup Final win v St Mirren.
1968/69 was to be Per’s finest in a Morton jersey. Again, injuries limited his game time in the first half of the season, but from December onwards, he appeared in every game, forming a great scoring partnership with Joe Harper, the duo being christened “Batman and Robin” by the Cappielow fans. They finished the season with 43 goals between them. There was another run to a Scottish Cup semi-final v Celtic, Per famously scoring one and having FOUR goals disallowed for marginal off-side decisions in the quarter-final win against Dundee United at Tannadice.
In the final League match of the season, Per and Morton were to gain some revenge for their semi-final defeat against Celtic. After Morton provided a Guard of Honour, Celtic paraded their trophies before kick-off. After 10 minutes of the match, Morton led 3-1, Per Bartram scoring in the 4th, 5th & 10th minutes, going on to win the match 4-2 courtesy of a second-half Harper goal.
The following season, Bartram scored in a couple of early pre-season games at Watford and Bournemouth, before Crystal Palace signed him in August 1969, for a reported fee of £20,000; there he joined up again with ex-Morton team-mates John Loughlan, Tony Taylor and Borge Thorup.
There was to be a second brief spell at Cappielow, Per rejoining Morton in December 1970, and scoring another 8 goals in 16 games before returning to Denmark and Odense BK in 1971. He played there for 6 more years scoring 74 goals in 152 League matches, winning the League Championship in his final season in 1977.
Looking back, Per Bartram will be remembered as a fearless and exciting player; whilst his career at Morton was affected by injuries, he returned to Denmark with an impressive record of 44 goals in 70 games, having left Morton fans with many fond memories of his time in Greenock. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time.
Per Bartram pictured fourth from right holding up skipper Gerry Sweeney as Morton clinch the Second division title on 8th April 1967.
