Sunderland are unbeaten in their last nine top-flight meetings with the Magpies dating back to 2011, though Newcastle claimed victory in an cup meeting in 2024.
The Newcastle manager was technically on firm footing as he rang the bell.
The Magpies head coach had just got the 2023 Great North Run started to rapturous applause in the heart of the city.
But he had not accounted for those Black Cats runners who were less than pleased to see him as they sped past.
"The biggest stick I've ever had," he said this week. "I got abused by 50% of the people there."
This is not an inter-city rivalry. These regional neighbours have won only one major domestic trophy between them in the past 50 years, and Sunday's game marks the first time they will meet in the Premier League for nearly a decade.
But few fixtures bring a region to a standstill quite like the North East derby as former Sunderland manager Peter Reid knows better than most.
"They're football crackers," he said. "Put it this way, there is a touch of extra needle up there."
A fixture like no other
A former Newcastle defender also knows what can happen when these worlds collide.
A huge framed photograph in the ex- Newcastle centre-back's home acts as a daily reminder.
It shows the Greek wild-eyed, bare chested and surrounded by his elated team-mates, after netting the winner in front of the traveling support at the Stadium of Light in 2002.
This was a fixture that definitely left its mark on him.
"It's the passion of the fans," he said. "It's something that goes from generation to generation. This heritage makes this game so unique."
So what is at the root of the fierce rivalry between two football-mad towns less than 15 miles apart?
Well, as far as a Sunderland season ticket holder is concerned, it goes beyond football itself.
"You can go back to the English Civil War with Newcastle supporting the monarchy and Sunderland siding with the government," he said. "It's rooted in political and economical tensions.
"Newcastle receive the funding, Newcastle have the big city, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. Sunderland are always shadowed."
But it is far from one-sided.
A former player's father was even "mobbed" by delirious Newcastle supporters after his son scored a match-winning free-kick in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light in 2011.
That is how much it meant to the home fans.
"I needed a while afterwards to grasp the significance of it," the player said.
"It made my life a lot simpler. I was allowed to make the odd mistake when playing, simply because of that goal.
"I still go up to St James' Park and you've got dads telling their kids, 'See this lad? He scored the winner against our rivals'."
A derby win can even boost the standing of an already beloved figure.
A former Newcastle manager had recently delivered promotion back to the Premier League when he took charge of his first derby in 2010.
There may have only technically been three points at stake, but he quickly understood the "extra weight" of this game because people in the North East "live for their football".
He said: "There are some derbies where you are not quite sure why they are derbies. This one, you do.
"These represent two massive clubs - close from each other - with their own character.
"In effect, they are the two biggest games of the season so you are aware that the last thing you want to do is to lose, especially in your own stadium."
A region reignited
That manager need not have worried.
His side ended up thrashing Sunderland 5-1 at St James' Park in 2010, but Newcastle have only won a single derby in the Premier League since then.
In fact, Sunderland have been victorious in six of the last seven meetings in the top flight.
A former Sunderland manager masterminded half of those victories, having quickly realised that the fixture was "much bigger" than many those from afar thought.
"Beyond family, the club is the most important thing to the people of Sunderland," he said.
"It's so intense that the result of the club can change the mood of the city so imagine the result of the derby? You can sense it.
"They told me on the first day. 'Please stay up, but you must beat Newcastle'. I remain unsure if it was more important to stay up or to beat Newcastle."
Sunderland, like Newcastle before them, eventually succumbed to the drop in 2017, and spent eight years outside the top flight.
So a division separated these rivals when they last met in the domestic cup nearly two years ago.
And the contrast was pronounced.
The combined cost of Sunderland's starting line-up that day was a tiny portion of the £40m Newcastle had invested in a single player.
The most experienced individual in the hosts' starting line-up was a considerable distance ahead of others, at just 30 years of age.
"It's unlikely the fans really expected, deep down, that we were going to win that game," a former midfielder said. "But now it's changed."
In so many ways.
Only two players are likely to be the only holdovers from that 3-0 defeat in Sunday's lineup following the astute arrivals of several new signings.
Sunderland also have a new manager, of course.
Not only has he led Sunderland to promotion - his fearless side have gone toe-to-toe with some the best teams in the top flight.
In fact, the reigning champions are the only team in the current top six to have defeated Sunderland this season, while his side are also unbeaten on their own ground.
Such an impressive start to the campaign means Sunderland go into Sunday's game a point clear of Newcastle in the table.
So it is all set up to be a captivating afternoon when these rivals face off again at the Stadium of Light.
"Come Sunday, the world will know the North East is back on the map with elite fixtures again," a former player added.
