When the Premier League fixture lists are revealed, the one match that Newcastle United and Sunderland fans look for before any other is the Tyne-Wear derby.
It is a fierce local rivalry between two sides separated by just 10 miles in the North-East, dating back more than 130 years to 1883.
The 143rd meeting between these two teams saw Sunderland clinch a memorable 3-0 win yesterday, beating the Magpies by that scoreline in their own backyard for the second consecutive season.
It is a result that the Black Cats will not forget in a hurry as they gained three vital points in the battle against relegation from the Premier League, and is the latest in a long line of great matches between the two sides.
Here, Sports Mole picks out its top five.
Newcastle 0-3 Sunderland (April 14, 2013)
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In the days prior to one of the most important Tyne-Wear derbies in recent years, the Sunderland board had made the bold decision to sack Martin O'Neill and replace him with the eccentric Paolo Di Canio.
Di Canio's job description was simple - keep Sunderland in the Premier League. The Black Cats had gone nine games without a win and were looking increasingly likely to be relegated to the Championship as the season neared its conclusion.
Newcastle were not safe either, with Alan Pardew's side struggling to juggle Europa League commitments with their Premier League duties and ending up having a poor season.
This day was all about Di Canio and the Black Cats, however, as the Italian instilled a passion in the side that saw them clinch the victory that kick-started their survival charge.
Stephane Sessegnon opened the scoring for the visitors, drawing a sprint down the touchline from his celebratory new manager, before Adam Johnson doubled his side's lead.
Just as Sunderland fans thought that things couldn't get any better, David Vaughan's stunning strike capped off the visitors' first win at St James' Park in 13 years, and Di Canio slid out on his knees to celebrate an exciting new era for the club.
That era lasted just 13 matches as Di Canio was sacked after a poor start to the 2013-14 season, despite delivering on his promise to keep the Black Cats in the top flight.
Newcastle 1-2 Sunderland (August 25, 1999)
A miserable afternoon at St James' Park will be remembered for all the wrong reasons by Newcastle fans as they watched an unfamiliar side lose to their bitter rivals in torrential rain.
The rain provided an apt metaphor for Ruud Gullit's regime at Newcastle and, on a day when some were calling for the match to be postponed due to the weather, the rain had never fallen as hard on the Dutchman's reign.
A baffling team selection did him no favours as he left local hero Alan Shearer on the bench, with Paul Robinson featuring alone up front instead.
That immediately riled the home fans, and even Kieron Dyer's 27th-minute opener did little to appease the unhappy Geordie faithful.
That unhappiness turned to downright misery in the second half as Niall Quinn glanced Nicky Summerbee's free kick into the corner to level things up, before Kevin Phillips scored a stunning winner 15 minutes from the end.
Shearer was brought on in an effort to save things for the hosts, but it was too little too late for both him and Gullit, who was sacked just days after the defeat.
Newcastle 3-2 Sunderland (October 23, 2005)
The first Tyne-Wear derby of the 2005-06 season took on even greater importance due to the poor starts both sides had made to their respective campaigns.
Newcastle went into the match with just two wins from their opening nine games, while Sunderland were even worse off having picked up just four points from the first 27 available.
As is often the case in derby matches, though, form was thrown out of the window as the two old rivals put on a fine spectacle at St James' Park.
The game was lit up by a flurry of goals in the first half, with Shola Ameobi scoring the opener in the 34th minute before Liam Lawrence quickly equalised for the visitors.
Steven Caldwell gifted the Magpies their lead back with an own goal shortly afterwards, but Stephen Elliot responded again for the Black Cats, hammering home to make it 2-2 after a spell of four goals in seven minutes.
The second half wasn't quite as frantic, but there was more drama to come as Emre gave the hosts the lead for the third and final time in the match to seal a memorable victory for his side, which momentarily lifted the pressure off under-fire boss Graeme Souness.
Sunderland 1-4 Newcastle (April 17, 2006)
The Tyne-Wear derby is no place for mercy, and Newcastle certainly didn't show any on this April afternoon in 2006.
Sunderland had endured a poor season and their inevitable relegation was confirmed three days before their meeting with their bitter rivals, despite holding Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
The one saving grace from that result was that the Black Cats could no longer be relegated by Newcastle at the Stadium of Light, but bragging rights were still up for grabs in the North East.
It seemed that the hosts would finally have something to shout about when they put in a good first-half performance to deservedly lead at the break through Justin Hoyte's goal.
However, that was as good as things got for Sunderland as a rejuvenated Newcastle, now led by Glenn Roeder, ran riot in the second half with goals from Michael Chopra, Charles N'Zogbia, Alan Shearer and Albert Luque.
It turned out to be a bittersweet match for Newcastle fans, and particularly Shearer, as he went off injured following a challenge from Julio Arca in what turned out to be the final game of his remarkable career.
Newcastle 5-1 Sunderland (October 31, 2010)
A Halloween horror show was in store for Sunderland on their first visit to St James' Park since Newcastle had bounced back up from the Championship at the first time of asking.
Manager Chris Hughton had already made himself a favourite with the Geordie faithful by cruising to the Championship title the season before, and this victory gave him a place in their hearts forever.
The Magpies had made an inconsistent start to the season, mixing results such as a 6-0 victory over Aston Villa with a home defeat to newly-promoted Blackpool, while Sunderland had lost just one of their opening nine matches.
Once again, however, the form book was ripped up and thrown aside as the Magpies blew Sunderland away in the first half, going into the break with a 3-0 lead thanks to a Kevin Nolan brace and Shola Ameobi's customary derby goal.
Things went from bad to worse for Sunderland in the second half. Ameobi doubled his tally with a bicycle kick and Nolan completed his hat-trick by nodded home with 15 minutes to go.
Darren Bent, who had started the season in good goalscoring form, snatched a consolation strike for Sunderland in the 90th minute, but that did little to dampen the spirits of the delirious home fans.
Barney Corkhill
