Wigan Athletic star on becoming a driving force for the stars of tomorrow!

The 33-year-old Northern Ireland striker may be in the twilight of his career for club and country.

But sons Cohen and Jenson are already well on the way to forging successful chapters of their own.

Cohen, 10, is with the Latics Academy while Jenson, eight, is on the books of Manchester City.

And despite the hours he and wife Amy are putting in to chauffeur the boys to their next training session and game, Magennis senior admits it's a 'blessing' he does not take lightly.

"To see what they have been able to achieve up to this point, is nothing short of a blessing," he said. "The boys are well rounded and they are in a good position to flourish.

"I used to drop them off at training and games and never watch because I didn't want to feel that I was overstepping the boundary.

"Slowly but surely, I started to go watch and it is fantastic to see their journey."

"When I came through at an academy, you needed to perform. It was all about performance and you as a person was second. Now the clubs are person and performance orientated.

"We're fully embracing their journey. It could go on, like I have for 17 years and they can play until their dreams come true, or it may only last one or two years.

"But the memories we have as a family can never be taken away from us."

While Magennis has usually finished his own training by early afternoon, his work is only starting.

"The boys have training on Tuesday," he told BBC Sport NI. "We go straight from school and it is from 4pm-8pm.

"Wednesday is a down day, or they will have a coaching camp for a top-up session with a coach from Manchester City, if they want it.

"On Thursday they have training from 4pm-8pm, then Saturday and Sunday it is all day, 10am-5pm.

"It is full on, but they want to do it. I ask them all the time if they still want to play and they do, so we're happy to chaperone."

The next couple of weeks are only going to get more hectic in the Magennis household with Christmas to enjoy.

"Christmas is crazy, as a footballer, it is the busiest time of the year, you have a game every three days," he added.

"When I first met my wife she asked me, 'why are you not really into Christmas?' but by the time I get Christmas Day out of the way I am thinking about the game on Boxing Day.

"We have made it work to manage timings and locations, but it is tricky for us around Christmas."

He'll also be partaking in one particular festive tradition that remains non-negotiable.

"I have an early Christmas dinner around 11.30am or 12pm, the full works," confirmed Magennis. "Then at night I will have a pasta dish to get my football meal in."