Cresswell drew praise from manager Billy Davies during 2004–05, "Richard is very capable of that and it is important that we keep creating chances for Cressy as we know that he will put the ball in the back of the net", although he admitted the team were over reliant on Cresswell's goals. He enjoyed his best goal return in 2004–05, top scoring for Preston with 21 goals in 52 appearances. This helped Preston reach the 2005 Championship play-off Final, where they were beaten 1–0 by West Ham United at the Millennium Stadium. Cresswell played poorly in the first half, but had a number of chances on goal during the second half.