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The Newcastle manager found himself on safe ground as he rang the bell.

The Newcastle United 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 Sunderland-supporting runners who were less than pleased to see him as they sped past.

"The worst abuse I've ever had," he remarked this week. "I got verbally attacked by 50% of the people there."

This is far from an ordinary rivalry. These North East neighbours have won only one major domestic trophy between them in the past 50 years, and Sunday's game signals the first time they will meet in the top division for almost ten years.

But hardly any fixtures bring a region to a standstill quite like the North East derby as former Black Cats manager Peter Reid knows better than most.

"These are football crackers," he said. "Let's just say, there is a touch of extra needle up there."

'The two biggest games of the season'

Nikos Dabizas also knows what can happen when these worlds collide.

A huge framed photograph in the ex- Newcastle defender'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 father to son. This tradition makes this game so unique."

So what is at the core of the intense rivalry between two one-club cities less than 15 miles apart?

Well, as far as a Sunderland season ticket holder is concerned, it transcends football itself.

"You can trace it to the English Civil War with Newcastle siding with the monarchy and the other side backing the government," he said. "It's rooted in political and economic factors.

"Newcastle receive the investment, 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 not at all 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 mattered to the Geordies.

"It took a while afterwards to grasp the importance of it," the player said.

"It eased my life a lot easier. I was forgiven to make the odd mistake when playing, simply because of that goal.

"Even now when I visit up to St James' Park and you've got dads telling their kids, 'See this lad? He scored the winner against the Mackems'."

A derby win can even further elevate the standing of an already beloved figure.

A former Newcastle manager had not long delivered promotion back to the Premier League when he took charge of his first derby in 2010.

There may have only officially been three points at stake, but he quickly understood the "extra weight" of this game because people in the North East "breathe their football".

He said: "There are some derbies where you are not quite sure why they are derbies. This one, you are.

"These are two massive clubs - not far away from each other - with their own identities.

"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."

'The world will know the North East is back on the map'

That manager had nothing to fear.

His side ended up hammering Sunderland 5-1 at St James' Park in 2010, but Newcastle have only won a solitary derby in the Premier League since then.

In fact, Sunderland have triumphed in six of the last seven meetings in the top flight.

A former Sunderland manager oversaw half of those victories, having quickly realised that the fixture was "much bigger" than many outsiders thought.

"Beyond family, the club is the most important thing to the people of this city," he said.

"The passion is such that the result of the club can change the mood of the city so imagine the result of the derby? You can sense it.

"I was informed on the first day. 'Please stay up, but you must beat Newcastle'. I still don't know if it was more important to stay up or to beat Newcastle."

The club, like Newcastle before them, eventually succumbed to the drop in 2017, and spent eight years away from the top flight.

So a division divided these rivals when they last met in the domestic cup nearly two years ago.

And the difference was stark.

The combined cost of Sunderland's starting line-up that day was a mere fraction of the £40m Newcastle had invested in a single player.

The most experienced individual in the hosts' starting line-up was a clear margin 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 different."

In so many ways.

Only two players are likely to be the only survivors 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 bold 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 undefeated on home soil.

Such an impressive start to the campaign means Sunderland go into Sunday's game a point ahead of Newcastle in the table.

So it is all set up to be a captivating afternoon when these rivals renew hostilities at the Stadium of Light.

"Come Sunday, the world will know the North East is back on the map with top games again," a former player added.