Rise and shine! 6,000 Newcastle fans queue outside St James' Park before being taken to Sunderland for the FA Cup Tyne-Wear derby… with the club handing out free scarf, water and breakfast to every fan

Thousands of Newcastle United fans gathered outside St James' Park early this morning ahead of their highly anticipated trip to face Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby.

In one of the fiercest derby matches in English football, Northumbria Police have taken a series of precautions to reduce the risk of conflict between the two groups of supporters.

As a result, Newcastle fans are required to make official club trips to the match, and without doing so they will not be able to obtain a match ticket.

That meant the 6,000 traveling fans headed to St James' Park bright and early to queue for one of the 120 scheduled buses that would take them to the Stadium of Light.

Videos on social media showed tired supporters receiving a free scarf for the occasion, as well as a bottle of water and a granola bar.

Newcastle's 6,000 traveling fans lined up bright and early for a trip to Sunderland, with the club providing free muesli bars (right) to fans before boarding the official coaches

Fans were bussed to the match and driven to the stadium by police officers

It was a requirement to obtain the match ticket that fans needed to bring official coaches to the ground

Newcastle's 6,000 traveling fans had to queue early on Saturday ahead of the Sunderland match

Because it is a 'Bubble' match, fans must take an official bus trip to get their ticket

The 21 kilometer journey to the Stadium of Light is being monitored as part of a major police operation

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Due to the 'Bubble Match' restrictions for this match – which limit how fans can travel to the match – Newcastle have spent £150,000 on official coaches.

Fans will only receive their match ticket on the bus, but as they are not required to travel back via the same route, there is a risk of post-match clashes if they decide to leave the away fan 'bubble'.

Tensions between the clubs escalated this week after it emerged that Sunderland had asked the Magpies to decorate the Black Cats Bar – which will house some away fans for today's FA Cup third round – to protect against damage to the red and whites . interior.

Sunderland fans were furious when images of the temporary redesign emerged online, leaving Sunderland chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus 'hurt and disgusted'.

But Mail Sport revealed that Sunderland had approved the wording of the controversial black and white advert in Newcastle before Christmas – and that it would have been used at the Stadium of Light on Saturday had there not been a backlash from supporters.

Saturday's Tyne-Wear derby will require a major police operation from Northumbria Police

Officers are seen carrying crates outside Stadium of Light before the away fans arrive

There will be 6,000 Newcastle fans in attendance for this high stakes third round match

There is a lot of excitement from the away fans arriving as this game has been in the works for years

Black and white displays from Newcastle adorned a hospitality area for away fans at the Stadium of Light before the mass uproar from Sunderland fans saw a reversal from the Championship side

Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus was forced into an embarrassing climb down with an apology to the fans

Senior figures at the Championship club were sent Newcastle's proposed slogans on December 21 and confirmed their approval in writing the same day.

But after an embarrassing climb down, Sunderland owner Louis-Dreyfus wrote on Instagram: 'I would like to apologize to everyone involved with Sunderland AFC for the events that unfolded today.

“Like our supporters, I was disgusted and hurt by the photos circulating online of the inappropriate signs that had been removed.

'I take full responsibility for every decision made by the staff of our club and you have my word that I will personally ensure that we make the necessary changes required to improve because it is clear that there is a lot are areas where we need to improve. to be better.'