IT is the most indelible derby image of recent years, and when Wear-Tyne rivalries are renewed at the Stadium of Light tomorrow, it will still be at the forefront of John Carver’s mind.

When Paolo Di Canio raced down the St James’ Park touchline and slid to his knees in celebration during Sunderland’s 3-0 win in April 2013, the act of unashamed arrogance spoke volumes about the way the balance of power in North-East football, at least in terms of the derby, had tilted towards the Wear.

Since then, three further derby victories have strengthened Sunderland’s stranglehold over their neighbours and piled further misery on those of a black-and-white persuasion, with Adam Johnson’s dramatic late winner in December merely reaffirming the impression of Newcastle as a club in a spiralling state of depression.

Having taken over from Alan Pardew in December, Carver finds himself charged with the task of ensuring the worst derby run in Newcastle’s history finally comes to an end tomorrow.

As a boyhood Magpies fan, it is a task he was always going to relish, but if he requires any further motivation as he plots how best to engineer a much-needed Stadium of Light success, he need only dredge up the memory of Di Canio humiliating Newcastle in their own backyard.

“When Paolo was sliding on his knees, I’ve never been so agitated in my life,” said Carver, who was also involved in Newcastle’s record-breaking run of derby wins between 2002-06.  “I wanted to take the law into my own hands that day because of what I was watching in our stadium.

“It was very, very difficult to take, but you have to take it on the chin and accept it. From that day on, though, that is something that really motivates and drives me to try to get the right result.

“This is our own stadium, our own home, and it was embarrassing. It was an embarrassing performance, and I was embarrassed to be part of that. I was embarrassed about the way we played that day, although him doing that pissed me off, I’ve got to be honest.”

Ironically, Di Canio’s derby celebration was one of his few high points during an otherwise calamitous spell as Sunderland boss, and while Gus Poyet recorded back-to-back wins at St James’, the victories did little to shield him from the criticism that eventually led to his departure.

Derby successes will only gain you so much kudos, although on the flip side of the coin, the negative effects of a series of poor results can have a profoundly damaging impact.

Alan Pardew has recently claimed that his desperate derby record was a key factor in the Newcastle fanbase turning against him, while on the other side of the divide, Steve Bruce is equally adamant that his own derby disasters were a major part of his position as Sunderland boss becoming untenable.

Carver is currently embroiled in a battle on two fronts as he attempts to secure his head coach position on a permanent basis, with owner Mike Ashley and the Newcastle fans seemingly still to be persuaded of his suitability for the role.

Ashley, with his hard-headed business approach, will pay precious little attention to the emotional capital of a derby win. Amongst the rank-and-file support, however, Carver’s status could be strengthened if things go well tomorrow.

“It can make or break a manager,” he said. “I’d like to think some of the stuff I’ve done is already on the way to making me, but in the eyes of the fans, if you win a derby game, it’s massive. I’m not saying everything else is forgotten, but it certainly helps your case.

“Listen, if I come off and it’s not been a football match, but we win 1-0, I’ll be delighted with that. We had a good football match last week (against Arsenal) and got nothing for it. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting the win.”

If Newcastle are to draw a line under their miserable record tomorrow, they will have to close the physical gap that has separated the two sides in all of their most recent meetings.

Carver has spent the last week poring over the statistical discrepancies between the two sides in the last four derbies, and was alarmed to discover that Sunderland’s work-rate was superior in all four games. Whatever else happens on Wearside, he is determined that will not be the case again.

“In the last four games, Sunderland have outworked us, and that’s not a good stat to have,” he said. “I’ll be making sure that doesn’t happen again and using a whip if I have to.”

As ever with the derby, tomorrow’s game has a host of sub-plots, and one of the most intriguing will be Jack Colback’s first return to Wearside as a Newcastle player, following a Sunderland career that saw him score the final goal of the Black Cats’ February 2014 win over their fiercest rivals.

“He’s been in their dressing room and they’ve won four in a row,” said Carver. “So whatever they’ve been doing, their approach has been right.

“We’ve had a chat about that, and I’ll be having another chat with him about how he deals with the situation, but he’s a big enough character and personality to deal with the whole thing.”

Mehdi Abeid is expected to return to Newcastle’s starting line-up after recovering from a thigh injury, but there is no place in the squad for Rolando Aarons, who will not be risked despite returning to training, or Massadio Haidara, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season following knee surgery.