In a rivalry that dates back to the English Civil War, the Tyne-Wear derby runs a lot deeper than football and Shearer played his part in a number of iconic moments for his boyhood club, captaining the Magpies in seven of his 11 encounters against the Black Cats.

After coming home in the summer of 1996, the Gosforth-born striker was on target in three matches against Sunderland, scoring a free-kick in a 2-0 triumph on home soil during the 2002/03 season before scoring from the penalty spot in a 4-1 comeback win at the Stadium of Light, a game which proved to be his final professional outing.

A man renowned for the big occasion for both club and country during a goal-laden senior career spanning 18 years, it is a fixture Shearer always welcomed season upon season.

"I loved the games," he told newcastleunited.com. "You can definitely get away with a little bit more in terms of the referees because they understand what it means to you.

"You feel the passion. When the fixtures are out, it's not Liverpool, Arsenal or Man United that you look for. It's Sunderland and when you play them home and away.

"You have to win and be on the right side of it otherwise it hurts you for a while but they're brilliant games to play in and be involved in.

"I can remember all the goals and games, both the good and the bad. Sometimes, you have to put up with the bad but that's the way it is in football.

"I can remember them all, walking up the tunnel and back down it with the emotions and feeling that goes with it.

"You can hear and feel the atmosphere when you're on the way to the stadium. There's just something very different about it in a great way."

Before becoming the club's all-time record goalscorer, Shearer required little education on the magnitude of the fixture, often venturing to St. James' Park as a youngster to watch his beloved side face off against their local rivals.

He explained: "I remember walking to St. James' Park the day after Boxing Day, when there was no transport on, with all my pals and watching the game [a 2-0 win during the 1975/76 season in front of over 49,000 fans].

"I've been a part of it and know what it means to everyone but then to go out and play in it, being a local lad, there's no doubt that you carry the responsibility.

"You have to try and educate the others who maybe are new to it and perhaps don't know how much it means."

In a region fixated on football, it is vital for Shearer and the Magpies supporters that only one side prevails on Derby Day.

"You get the bragging rights and to talk about it for a while until the next game," he added. "If it's gone well, great, but if it hasn't then you've got the chance to put that right.

"The week leading up to it and the week or two after it, if it's gone well, is a great feeling and everyone's still talking about it."

Read Alan Shearer's interview in Sunday's issue of UNITED - the Magpies' official matchday programme.

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