David Healy hails 'fearless' Linfield teenager after playing key role in dramatic Premiership victory over Crusaders

The 16-year-old, who is set for a summer move to England, replaced Matthew Clarke in the 86th minute as the Blues chased a winner after Joel Cooper’s first-half strike had been cancelled out by a Jordan Owens header, and made an almost immediate impact on proceedings.

Graham won the injury time corner which Daniel Finlayson ultimately headed home to secure three points and temporarily send Linfield top of the table before Larne’s win over Cliftonville.

A Northern Ireland youth international, Graham is the South Belfast club’s youngest-ever player after making an appearance in a Premiership victory over Dungannon Swifts in March aged 15 years and 137 days, breaking Charlie Allen’s record by 19 days.

Graham also scored in their BetMcLean Cup victory over Larne earlier this season and Healy praised his fearlessness after making a crucial contribution to Linfield’s title bid.

"When you're that age you're fearless and Braiden doesn't see the pressure we're all under at the football club and the demands - he just sees the ball and the game,” he told the club’s media channel. “He's an incredible player...to have that calmness and coolness in his all-round game.

"I've seen Braiden since he was 12 or 13...he will leave in the summer and he'll go onto bigger and better things, but for us as a club and for everyone that helped him along the way, we certainly wish him well."

Healy’s side are now just four games away from potentially securing a magnificent treble with three league matches, including a crunch meeting with nearest rivals Larne at Windsor Park on April 22, and an Irish Cup final against Cliftonville standing in their way.

It would be the first time the Blues have achieved that feat since David Jeffrey’s all-conquering side of 2007/08, but Healy remains focused on the immediate task at hand, which is Tuesday’s home encounter versus Coleraine.

"As much as I enjoyed the last two or three minutes of the game, the majority of the first-half and bits and pieces of the second-half, there's no huge celebration,” he added. “There's a small outpouring of emotion, which is natural because we all care.

"We'll recover, train and get ready for a huge game against Coleraine on Tuesday."