Aurelio Vidmar’s men face Gamba Osaka tonight in the first leg of the ACL final with the Reds looking to create history and become the first Australian winners of the tournament.

It is all a far cry from the scenes of February 2007 when the Reds were humiliated 6-0 in the A-League grand final by a rampant Melbourne Victory.

That defeat led to some serious soul searching at Hindmarsh with the club carrying out a comprehensive review of the football department.

Aurelio Vidmar became the coach and the club left no stone unturned in examining how every aspect of its footballing structure could be improved.

Michael Petrillo told au.fourfourtwo.com: “I think that was the lowest ebb (the grand final defeat) and it was at that point that a decision was taken to review the whole footballing department and to see how we could best move forward.

“It was the catalyst for a complete review and we assessed how to build a long-term, sustainable structure.”

Petrillo believes the review has been effective because there is an openness and honesty at the club with people willing to offer an opinion and find a receptive ear.

He said: “I think that is so important and it is an environment where everyone is valued.”

Having put that grand final defeat behind them, the Reds are just 180 minutes away from a remarkable triumph and Petrillo admits everyone at the club is buzzing.

He said: “The interest has just been incredible and we’re very grateful for that. But now we’re in the final, we want to win it.”

The second leg takes place at Hindmarsh Stadium a week today with the club admitting it could have sold out the clash three times over.