 His first professional club was Wolverhampton Wanderers who in 1985 signed him from a non-league team.Bartram made his first team debut on 23 August 1986 in a 2–1 home defeat to Cambridge United, which marked the club's first-ever game in the fourth tier of English football.However, this proved his only Wolves league outing until April 1991 as the club brought in Mark Kendall, and later Mike Stowell, of whom were both virtual ever-presents at the club.