Ian Cathro's last experience of a derby was in a rivalry so intense that a fan frustrated at being on the losing side once punched a police horse full in the face.
He arrived at Newcastle United as assistant boss two years after that infamous incident when trouble broke out following a 3-0 loss to Sunderland at St James’ Park in April 2013.
Barry Rogerson, the Magpies follower who attacked Bud, West Yorkshire Police’s equine enforcer, paid for his headline-grabbing act of violent disorder with a prison sentence.
But Cathro, the Hearts head coach, has his own distinctly hair-raising memories of the intense passion of the Tyne-Wear fixture; from the bus journey to the Stadium of Light and being pelted with objects from the welcome committee that lay in wait, to the 3-0 defeat that led to Newcastle fans venting their spleens at their team afterwards.