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Eddie Howe found himself on safe ground as he rang the bell.

The Magpies head coach had just got the 2023 Great North Run under way to rapturous applause in the heart of the city.

But he had not accounted for those Black Cats runners who were not so thrilled to see him as they whizzed 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 North East 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 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 understands better than most.

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

A fixture like no other

Nikos Dabizas also is aware of what can happen when these worlds collide.

A huge framed photograph in the former Newcastle centre-back's home acts as a daily reminder.

It captures the Greek ecstatic, bare chested and among his jubilant team-mates, after netting the winner in front of the traveling support at the Stadium of Light in 2002.

This was a fixture that certainly left its mark on him.

"The key is the intensity of the fans," he said. "It's something that goes from father to son. This tradition makes this game so special."

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 Black Cats 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 the other side backing the parliament," he said. "It's rooted in political and economical tensions.

"Newcastle receive the investment, Newcastle have the metropolitan status, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. The other side are always shadowed."

But it is far from one-sided.

A former player's father was even "swarmed" by delirious Newcastle supporters after his son scored a decisive free-kick in a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light in 2011.

That is how much it meant to the Geordies.

"I needed a while afterwards to realise the importance of it," the player said.

"It eased my life a lot simpler. I was forgiven to make the odd mistake when playing, purely 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 our rivals'."

A derby win can even boost the reputation 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 recognised the "added responsibility" 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 identities.

"In effect, they are the two most important games of the season so you are conscious 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 solitary derby in the Premier League since then.

In fact, The Wearside club have triumphed 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.

"Beyond 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 alter the atmosphere of the city so consider 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 relegation trapdoor in 2017, and spent eight years away from 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 mere fraction 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 believed, deep down, that we were going to win that game," a former midfielder said. "But now it's changed."

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 different 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 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 captivating afternoon when these rivals renew hostilities at the Stadium of Light.

"On Sunday, the world will know the North East is relevant again with elite fixtures again," a former player added.