The 2001 Football League First Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 28 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2000–01 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth position in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; Bolton Wanderers ended the season in third position while Preston North End finished fourth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2001–02 season in the Premier League. Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion were the losing semi-finalists. Winning the final was estimated by the UK media to be worth up to £30 million to the successful team.

Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City, Preston North End, Leeds United, Stoke City and Sheffield United.