Sunderland remain undefeated in their last nine top-flight meetings with Newcastle since 2011, although the Magpies won an cup tie in 2024.
The Newcastle manager found himself on safe ground as he rang the bell.
The Newcastle United head coach had just set the 2023 Great North Run under way to rapturous applause in the heart of the city.
But he had failed to anticipate 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 far from an inter-city rivalry. These regional neighbours have won only one significant title 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 hardly any fixtures halt an area quite like the North East derby as former Black Cats manager Peter Reid understands better than most.
"These are football crackers," he said. "Put it this way, there is a touch of extra needle up there."
'The two biggest games of the season'
A former Newcastle defender also knows what can happen when these worlds collide.
A huge picture in the former Newcastle defender's home serves as a daily reminder.
It captures the Greek ecstatic, shirtless and among his elated team-mates, after scoring the winner in front of the away fans at the Stadium of Light in 2002.
This was a fixture that certainly made an impression on him.
"It's the intensity of the fans," he said. "This feeling that goes from generation to generation. This heritage makes this game so special."
So what is at the core of the fierce rivalry between two one-club cities less than 15 miles apart?
Well, as far as a Sunderland loyal fan is concerned, it goes beyond football itself.
"You can go back to the English Civil War with Newcastle siding with 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 overshadowed."
But it is not at all one-sided.
A former player's father was even "swarmed" by joyous 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 Geordies.
"It took a while afterwards to realise the significance of it," the player said.
"It made my life a lot simpler. I was forgiven to make the occasional mistake when playing, purely 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 further elevate the reputation 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 officially been three points at stake, but he quickly understood the "added responsibility" 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 do.
"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, particularly in your own stadium."
'The world will know the North East is back on the map'
That manager need not have worried.
His side ended up hammering 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 outsiders thought.
"After family, the club is the most vital 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 consider 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."
The club, like Newcastle before them, eventually slipped through the relegation trapdoor in 2017, and spent eight years outside the top flight.
So a division separated these rivals when they last met in the FA Cup nearly two years ago.
And the contrast was stark.
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.
"I don't think the fans really expected, deep down, that we were going to win that game," a former midfielder said. "But now it's different."
In numerous ways.
Only two players are likely to be the only survivors from that 3-0 defeat in Sunday's lineup following the inspired 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 competed evenly against some the best teams in the top flight.
In fact, the reigning champions are the only team in the current top six to have beaten Sunderland this season, while his side are also undefeated on home soil.
Such an strong 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 gripping afternoon when these rivals face off again at the Stadium of Light.
"On Sunday, the world will know the North East is back on the map with elite fixtures again," a former player added.
