FULL-BACK Steve Pickup has lost his place at the back - to be the star up front!

The defender was pushed forward as boss Denis Underwood played three strikers in a bid to lift his side off the bottom of NWCL Division One.

And it paid dividends with Pickup scoring a brace in a fantastic win over promotion-chasing Newcastle.

"Steve has done it before and he will do it again, starting tonight," said Underwood, whose side face fellow strugglers Maine Road, who slipped below Harwood after defeat to Clitheroe, tonight at the Showground.

Pickup, regular hot shot Graham Lightbown and youngster Simon Garner led the line and Harwood got off to the best of starts.

Shaun Bursnell found Lightbown who fed Pickup, who rounded the keeper and finished it off like a true striker on 15 minutes.

Lightbown then hit the inside of the post followed by the inside of the bar and Underwood admitted that he thought it wasn't going to be his team's day.

But they dug deep and Lightbown then found Garner who in turn passed to the lively Pickup and he once more rounded the keeper to make it 2-0 on the hour.

Underwood was then furious with a penalty decision which let Newcastle back into it.

"It was ridiculous. I know I keep moaning about these decisions but it always seems to happen to us. It was given for a foul by Shaun Bursnell but the lad had kicked him after Shaun had cleared it.

"I was the physio, as we didn't have one, and I made my feelings known to the referee about it. I will be reported now but it was ludicrous."

Andy Bott converted the penalty but once again Harwood showed plenty of character, Lightbown whipping in a corner which went straight into the net to once more given them a two-goal cushion on 76 minutes.

Newcastle got one back through Bott on 87 minutes and Underwood was made to sweat in the final minutes.

"I couldn't believe it. The referee played 11 minutes of injury time and there was only Shaun who had been injured. I don't know where he got it from!"

Underwood was delighted with only their third win in more than 20 league encounters.

"We showed what we are capable of. We were unlucky not to score more. We played a lot better and now it is a huge game tonight."

GREAT HARWOOD...3 NEWCASTLE TOWN...2