Footballers who have played league football for PNE & Crystal Palace since 1888
A-K
408) BERESFORD Frank (PNE signed 1933/34 36 apps 4 gls) (Palace 3 apps 0 gls)
913) DAY Chris (PNE signed Feb 2005 9 apps 0 gls) (Palace 24 apps 0 gls)
606) ELWISS Mike (PNE signed Feb 74 202 apps 63 gls) (Palace 20 apps 7 gls)
880) FULLER Ricardo (PNE signed July 2002 58 apps 27 gls) (Palace 8 apps 0 gls)
846) HARRIS Jason (PNE signed Aug 98 34 apps 6 gls) (Palace 2 apps 0 gls)
848) HARRISON Craig (PNE signed Jan 99 6 apps 0 gls) (Palace 38 apps 0 gls)
574) HEPPOLETTE Ricky (PNE signed Sept 64 154 apps 13 gls) (Palace 15 apps 0 gls)
Player Profile MIKE ELWISS
Michael Walter Elwiss was born in Doncaster on 2 May 1954. After coming through the junior ranks Elwiss signed professional forms for Doncaster in July 1971. Elwiss made 97 appearances for Doncaster scoring 30 goals in two and a half years. Elwiss nearly signed for Liverpool but the club put the price up at the last minute and the deal was off. Elwiss was voted by the official supporters club into the man of the match hall of fame for the 1973/74 season.
In February 1974 Bobby Charlton signed the 19 year old for Preston for £60,000 a club record for Doncaster at the time. Elwiss scored both goals on his debut against Carlisle on 2 March 1974 as PNE took a 2-0 first half lead, before Carlisle scored twice in the second half. Elwiss didn't score in the next eight games but scored 3 goals in the last two games of the season. The final game of the season saw Elwiss score both of PNE goals in a 4-2 home defeat against Jack Charlton's Middlesbrough which saw Preston relegated to the third division.
Elwiss only missed two league games in the 1974/75 season scoring 11 goals and finishing second in the scoring charts behind Mel Holden.
Elwiss was an ever present in the 1975/76 season which saw Elwiss and his strike partner Alex Bruce score 15 goals a piece.
Elwiss scored 21 league goals in 1976/77 in 45 appearances as Elwiss and Bruce scored 45 of the 64 goals as Preston finishing sixth. Most of his goals were scored in the first part of the season as Elwiss netted 14 goals in the first 17 games. The only game he missed was the final game of the season at Shrewsbury . In October 1976, Elwiss was the first player to be given a yellow card at Tranmere's Prenton Park ground.
The 1977/78 season saw Preston achieve promotion to the Second Division in third position, above Peterborough on goal difference. Elwiss was again an ever present scoring 12 goals, he scored his fiftieth league goal for Preston in a 2-1 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday in October 1977, captained the club and was named the official player of the year. The final match of the season turned out to be Elwiss's last game in his first spell for Preston in a 2-2 draw at home to Shrewsbury , the goals naturally coming from Elwiss and Bruce. Elwiss made 192 league appearances scoring 60 goals.
In the summer of 1978 Aston Villa, Coventry and Norwich was chasing his signature. But whilst on holiday in Spain he was informed of the bid by Crystal Palace and Terry Venables flew out to Spain to sign him for £200,000.
Crystal Palace won the Second Division title one point above Brighton in the 1978/79 season. Elwiss kept Ian Walsh out of the side for the first dozen games but got caught with a bad tackle in a league game at Burnley. Although he scored a few weeks later in front of the Match of the Day cameras against West Ham and further goals against Sheffield United and a header against Newcastle. Elwiss had suffered serious knee damage and after five operations surgeons could not get his knee right. Elwiss had made 20 league appearances for Palace scoring 7 goals.
In March 1980 Elwiss returned to Preston on loan for the last two months of the season making a further 10 appearances. Although he was never the same player as in his first spell due to his knee injury he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory at Leicester, this was his first game in the starting eleven and typically scored on his final league appearance in 3-2 defeat at Cambridge.
It wasn't a surprise when the doctors told him that his playing career was finished at the age of 27.
Elwiss returned to Preston to manage his father-in-law's, (the former Preston Chairman Keith Leeming's) dairy business whilst his daughter has represented England at hockey and athletics.