SINGAPORE -- Lion City Sailors' inspirational run in this season's AFC Champions League Two has literally made history.
In reaching the final of Asian football's second-tier club competition, they will become the first Singaporean club to feature in a continental decider.
When they entertain Emirati outfit Sharjah at Bishan Stadium on Sunday, it will be the biggest stage many of them would have graced.
One man who has done it all before, however, is captain Hariss Harun.
Back in 2015, Hariss was part of another team to achieve the unprecedented -- although it was with neighbouring Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Ta'zim.
As the ambitious JDT looked to take the next step after establishing themselves as the dominant force in the Malaysia Super League for the previous few years, a remarkable triumph in the AFC Cup -- as the ACL Two was known as then -- would mark the start of their rise on the continental stage.
JDT are now well established at an even higher level.
They have reached the knockout round of the top-level AFC Champions League Elite in two of the past three seasons, and have made a habit of matching it with traditional powerhouses from Japan, South Korea, China and Australia.
JDT are now in a place where the Sailors undoubtedly hope to get to. And similarly, it could all begin with one last triumph in the ACL Two this weekend.
"It's huge for us to be in the final," said Hariss. "I think, at the beginning of the season, we didn't expect this for sure -- we were very much focused on just getting out of the group stage.
"I don't think many people had us for the final but, with each stage, we grew from strength to strength as a team, and I think it bodes well for the club.
"For a club of our stature, it's important to play in this kind of competition and, having made it to the final, I think it's huge for us as a club and for Singapore football."
There are certainly similarities with the Sailors' indomitable endeavours this terms and JDT's triumphant campaign a decade ago.
For one, JDT were also largely unfancied even as they continued to upset the odds with each passing game but were unpertubed as they went along their way defying the naysayers.
Both teams also benefitted from a touch of fortune.
The Sailors' hopes looked all but over in the quarterfinals when they suffered a heavy 6-1 first-leg loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima -- only for the result to be overturned to a 3-0 win in their favour after their J1 League opponents were discovered to have fielded an ineligible player, paving the way for them to seal their progress with a 1-1 draw in the return encounter.
Likewise, JDT were trailing 3-1 on aggregate to Al Qadsia in the semifinals only for their opponents to be disqualified after the Kuwait Football Association were slapped with a FIFA ban -- which sent the former straight into the final.
Still, it will also be a different experience for Hariss this time around.
While JDT's meeting with Tajikistan's Istiklol looked to be an even contest on paper, the Sailors -- not for the first time this season -- will certainly be the underdogs against Sharjah, who have featured in the ACL Elite on five previous occasions compared to the Singaporean team's couple of campaigns between 2022 and 2024.
On a more positive note, Hariss will get the enjoy a home final on this occasion -- given JDT had been the away side when they triumphed in Dushanbe back in 2015.
"For sure, home advantage is always great," said the Singapore captain, who boasts a staggering 140 caps to his name at just 34.
"To play this final at home means a lot for us players and the fans as well. For our family and friends to be able to catch a game of this magnitude will be wonderful.
"The final I played ten years ago was away but still, what a stage it was. Now to have the opportunity to play at home, it's going to be amazing. I'm really looking forward to it."
After initial uncertainty over whether the Sailors would be able to host the final given Jalan Besar Stadium -- their home for the entire campaign -- was deemed unsuitable while the 55,000-capacity National Stadium was unavailable, the match now looks set to go ahead following upgrades to Bishan Stadium, including increasing the number of supporters it can accommodate to 10,000.
It has already been a busy week for the Sailors having made a visit to inspect to refurbished Bishan before getting their hands on the Singapore Premier League trophy on Wednesday.
"Bishan is our home ground as well," added Hariss. We've played there many times.
"With how the changes are being made to Bishan, I think it's great. It's amazing. We've been there [and] seen what it is like right now so we're really looking forward to playing there.
"For sure, winning any title gives you confidence as a team, as player. This [the SPL] title is something we've wanted to win for years.
"The last time we won it, it gave the club confidence to grow. To come back and win it this year means so much to us.
"So to go into the big game this weekend with this in the bag is a huge relief and a confidence booster as well."