The Black Cats are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League encounters with Newcastle dating back to 2011, though Newcastle claimed victory in an FA Cup tie in 2024.
The Newcastle manager was technically on safe ground as he rang the bell.
The Magpies head coach had just got the 2023 Great North Run started to rapturous applause in the centre of the city.
But he had not accounted for those Black Cats runners who were less than pleased 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 far from an inter-city 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 Tyne-Wear 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 is aware of what can happen when these forces collide.
A huge picture in the ex- Newcastle defender's home serves as a daily reminder.
It captures the Greek wild-eyed, shirtless and surrounded by 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 left its mark on him.
"The key is the passion of the fans," he said. "This feeling that goes from generation to generation. 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 Sunderland loyal fan is concerned, it goes beyond football itself.
"You can trace it 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 economic tensions.
"Newcastle get the funding, Newcastle have the metropolitan status, Newcastle are the ones people always talk about when it comes to the North East. Sunderland are always overshadowed."
But it is far from one-sided.
A former player's father was even "mobbed" 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 home fans.
"I needed a little bit of time afterwards to grasp the significance of it," the player said.
"It eased my life a lot easier. I was forgiven to make the odd 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 boost the reputation of an already popular 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 "live for their football".
He said: "There are some derbies where you are unsure why they are derbies. This one, you are.
"These represent two huge clubs - close from each other - with their own character.
"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 had nothing to fear.
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 contests 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.
"After family, the club is the most vital thing to the people of Sunderland," 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 domestic cup nearly two years ago.
And the difference 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 numerous ways.
Only two players are likely to be the only holdovers 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 defeated Sunderland this season, while his side are also unbeaten on their own ground.
Such an strong 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 renew hostilities 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.
