How to Be A Five-A-Side Master MOTD Kickabout

Good morning, footie fans!

Tyler here with the best way

to start your Saturday.

And that's Kickabout, of course!

The transfer window is drawing

to a close very soon.

And this week has already

seen some massive deals.

Plus, there's EFL Cup

action to catch up on,

and a look ahead to some

mouthwatering ties in

the FA Cup this weekend.

All that, plus this lot coming up

too on today's show.

If you're thinking about joining

in with the FA People's Cup,

then Kickabout stars John Farnworth

and Alex Scott will be

sharing their top five tips

for playing 5-a-side footie.

The creator of one of CBBC's biggest

shows, Horrible Histories,

reveals some horrible footie facts

from the past.

And we reveal which Top Tekkers you

chose to see on this week's show.

Top tips, fascinating footie

facts and great goals.

What a line-up!

Let's kick things off,

though, as we always do,

by checking out this week's Headline

Hitters.

Big news for the England

women's team this week,

as it was announced that

Phil Neville has been

appointed new head coach.

The ex-England and Manchester United

player takes over from Mo Marley,

and his first big test will be this

She Believes Cup,

which starts in March.

Good luck, Phil!

Check this out for a hit!

Lugo goalkeeper Juan Carlos Martin

Corra scored a sensational goal

from his own half this week,

as his side beat Sporting Gijon 3-1

in the Spanish league.

And finally, Manchester City

and Arsenal booked places at Wembley

for the EFL Cup final this week.

Pep's men beat battling

Bristol City 5-3 on aggregate,

with goals from Sane,

Aguero and De Bruyne on Tuesday

night at Ashton Gate.

Whilst the Gunners came

from behind to beat Chelsea.

After a goalless first leg,

Hazard put the Blues ahead,

while an own goal levelled it,

before Granit Xhaka sealed the win.

Congratulations to

Man City and Arsenal.

The final takes place on Sunday

the 25th of February.

And what a cracking

game it should be.

Another big footie

competition coming up soon

is the FA People's Cup.

Last year, more than 6000 teams

and over 40,000 players took part

in Round One across the country.

And it's time to get involved

again now if you want

to enter a team this year.

The ultimate prize is a chance

to lift the trophy in your category

at the FA Cup final in May.

But the best thing is,

you get to take part in a huge

tournament with your mates.

So, with that in mind,

here are the top tips

with Kickabout's on John Farnworth

and Alex Scott to prepare

you for the nation's biggest

5-a-side competition.

I love 5-a-side!

I think it's a great way

of improving your technique

to become a top footballer.

And, the FA People's Cup

is all about the 5-a-side game.

It's fun, it's free, it's 5-a-side.

And they're looking

for teams of boys and girls.

So if you are under 14, this

is the perfect tournament for you.

So, we thought we would give

you our top five to help you master

becoming a good 5-a-side player.

Master the short passing game.

A 5-a-side court is a small,

tight area, so short passing is key.

In 5-a-side, most passes

are played short.

Very rarely you will see those

long, sweeping passes.

Because remember the no

overhead height rule.

Your passing has

to be super-accurate.

You can't always use tricks

and flicks, and punting the ball up

in the air just ain't going to work.

Short passing might sound simple.

But, because of the lack of space,

those passes need to be right.

Like your passing, good

shooting sounds obvious.

But in 5-a-side, it is

a little different.

Because the goals are low and wide,

so you need to aim for the corners.

Aim low and the goals will flow.

And remember, the pitch is so small,

you will get so many

opportunities to shoot,

so don't overplay it.

Once you get your opportunity,

head up and smash it in the corner.

In 5-a-side, the goalie

will probably face twice as many

shots than in a normal game,

which means the difference

between winning and losing.

But, what's really important

is that goalie roll-out.

Because too many times goals

are scored when goalkeepers roll

them out to people in bad positions.

So, if it's not on, just be patient.

And remember, the way

you roll it out is underarm

to the feet of your team-mate.

If you just chuck it

to your mates and it's

bouncing all over the place,

that is going to cause

loads of problems.

Defending - don't dive in.

And when your opponents

have the ball, force them wide.

Block the shots, get

goal-side of your attacker

and stop them from shooting.

And defenders are key.

Don't be the one that goal hangs,

get back and get out.

Sole skills, this is essential

in 5-a-side because there

is no space on the pitch.

So remember, use the sole

of your foot to move the ball

and get yourself out

of any tight situations.

OK, we have showed you our top

skills for 5-a-side.

So it's time for you to get out

there and put them into action.

Let's go!

Left foot!

Thanks, team.

And the FA People's Cup

sign-up is open now.

Head to the Kickabout website

for all the details.

This year, there's 18 categories -

including an under-14 male

and under-14 female category.

You do have to be 12

or over to take part.

But don't worry if you're

too young right now.

You can still practice all those top

tips to get training for the future.

And there's certainly no doubt

you've got the skills to rival Alex

and John if the videos you send

in week are anything to go by.

Check this lot out.

Massive Newcastle fan

Gavin here showing how

to master the kick-ups.

Sign him up, Rafa!

He is Liam scoring a fantastic free

kick to lead his team to a 3-2 win

against Ashington recently.

And finally, here's Finlay scoring

for his team, the under-7s,

the only goal of the match,

and it won them the tournament.

Look at that!

Brilliant stuff!

And check out the cup they won that

day thanks to Finlay's goal.

Well done again, guys.

Looking ahead to this weekend now,

it's the return of the FA Cup,

and Premier League leaders Man City

travel to Cardiff.

Well, they'll be hoping

to continue their pursuit

of all four trophies in one season.

Tottenham are at Newport County,

one of the lowest-ranked sides left

left in the competition,

after they caused an upset

in the last round by beating

Championship side Leeds.

Whilst Nottingham Forest,

who knocked out holders Arsenal,

are at the Championship rivals Hull.

The Tigers will be hoping to bounce

back after defeat to Sunderland

in the Championship last weekend.

The Black Cats won 1-0,

only their second win

at the Stadium Of Light this season,

would you believe it?!

But a move in the right direction,

our next Sunderland

superfan will be hoping.

I'm talking about Terry Deary,

author of the hugely successful

Horrible Histories series.

You'll know him better for his books

than the Black Cats,

but he's also a massive football

fan, as we found out recently

when we caught up with him to chat

footie facts from years gone by.

Hello, I'm Terry Deary.

And as well as being a lifelong

supporter of the wonderful

Sunderland Football Club,

some of you might know me better

as the author of the book

series Horrible Histories.

I was born in Sunderland

72 years ago.

And me dad took me to me first match

when I was nine years old.

I remember one of the great players

of those days was a player

called Len Shackleton,

who used to do incredible

tricks with the ball.

And ever since then,

my favourite players have always

been the entertainers.

COMMENTATOR:

Here's one more,

has to go alone here, and scores!

And you won't see a more popular

goal-scorer anywhere

in the country today!

And down the years, I've seen

Sunderland go up and come down.

But it doesn't matter how

good or bad they are,

I'll always support them.

I've got a season ticket

for Sunderland Football Club,

and hardly a home game goes

by without me going downstairs

for a Bovril and somebody

will come up to me and say,

"when are you going to write

a Horrible History of this lot?!"

Because Horrible Histories

are 25 years old now,

and this wonderful new stadium

is only 20 years old.

So the Horrible Histories books

are older than the stadium.

I've been a season ticket-holder

here for all that time.

And, of course, in the recent years,

the big heroes are the goal-scorers.

People like Kevin Phillips,

who scored 30 goals in one season.

He was a hero.

We've never done that

well since he left.

COMMENTATOR:

Jermain Defoe!

Oh my goodness me, what a goal!

2018 sees the 25th anniversary

of the Horrible Histories books.

So how about we celebrate

by me giving you some

horrible football facts,

especially for you lot at much

horrible football facts,

especially for you lot at Match

of the Day Kickabout?

Football's always had

a very colourful past.

In 1531, a Puritan preacher called

Thomas Elliott said,

"football creates beastly fury

and extreme violence!"

Not a lot changes, then!

In 1589, a vicar was giving a sermon

in church when he heard a noise

outside, and he found

two men were playing

football in his churchyard!

They were fined two shillings

for this grave crime.

Grave crime, get it?!

Never mind...

In 1863, Ebenezer Cobb

Morley's rules of the game

said it was OK to hack

at the front of an opponent's leg.

In fact, barging, hacking and

tripping were all part of the game.

One of the supporters of hacking

even went as far as to say,

"if you ban hacking,

then you take out all the plot and

courage from the game.

And within a week, a team

of Frenchmen will come

across, and after a little

practice they will beat us!"

That's never going to happen!

Top staff!

And the superfans

don't stop with Terry!

You lot at home have been sending

in some fantastic footie photos,

showing your support

for your favourite teams, too.

As well as some amazing

achievements on the pitch.

He is Isaac outside Wembley,

about to enjoy his first

ever footie match.

Spurs were taking on Everton,

and Isaac loved seeing his idols

Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney.

Jack is a big Newcastle fan,

and recently enjoyed

a tour of St James's Park.

It was his first time

visiting a football ground,

and he loved seeing the changing

rooms and pitch.

Sophie plays for three

teams, including Jarrow

FC and Boldin Girls.

She trains three times a week,

with matches every weekend.

And the hard work is clearly paying

off, as Boldin Girls have

just won their league!

Well done, Sophie.

Aston Villa fan Samir

met their mascot at Villa Park

during the game against Sunderland.

Villa won 2-1, and Samir even got

to say hello to assistant

manager Colin Calderwood.

And finally, here's Jack in action

for Walsall under-8s.

And with his Outstanding Player

Trophy that he won last year.

He loves playing in the team

with his best friend, Liam.

Keep up the good work, you two.

Jack and Liam, I bet

you're a dynamic duo out

there on that pitch.

Nice one!

Keep sending in your fantastic

photos, and of course your

brilliant skills videos.

We love featuring you

on the show each week.

It's really simple to get involved.

Just head to the Kickabout website

for all the details.

And speaking of joining in,

loads of you went online to vote

for this week's Top Tekkers.

We asked you to choose between two

Spanish superstars -

Pedro or Perez.

So, let's find out if you wanted

to see goals from the Blues

or goals from the Toon.

COMMENTATOR: Pedro in a good

position, a little bit of room.

Too much room!

A brilliant goal.

Pedro curls his side level.

COMMENTATOR: Febregas finds him

beautifully, now Pedro!

Pedro, the crowd

absolutely loving that.

Pedro is away...

Pedro makes it 2-0.

It's 1-0 to Chelsea!

Pedro guiding it

into the far corner...

It's gone through to

Pedro, and it's 2-0!

Pedro could strike...

Oh, what a fantastic goal by Pedro!

From the top draw

into the top corner!

What a player!

Nice one, you lot.

Looking ahead to next weekend,

we are focusing on the big game

between Liverpool and bars.

-- and Spurs.

Which of these two

superstar strikers do

you want to see goals from?

COMMENTATOR: Mane brushes

Chambers aside...

Sadio Mane...

COMMENTATOR: Great turn

by Kane, brilliant goal!

Or Harry Kane?

Head to the Kickabout

website to cast your vote.

You've got until 9am on Wednesday

the 31st of January.

And we'll reveal the winner,

as usual, next Saturday.

Right, that's it for this week.

But before we go, we couldn't leave

without talking about one

of the biggest signings

of the January transfer

of the biggest signings of

the January transfer window so far.

And that's this guy moving

to Manchester United.

Alexis Sanchez signed from Arsenal

at the start of this week in a swap

deal with midfielder Henrikh

Mkhitaryan.

Let's finish with a look

at what the Reds can expect

from the Chilean superstar.

See ya!

COMMENTATOR: Alexis

Sanchez, great footwork!

3-0!

Sanchez might fancy this, he does!

Welbeck missed it...

Sanchez hasn't, Sanchez has scored!

Listen to the roar

around Wembley now!