Lambert quits Livingston as Hearts broken by Dons

Former Celtic, Borussia Dortmund and Scotland star Paul Lambert, seen here in 2001, quit as player/manager of Livingston after a 1-0 defeat at home by Dunfermline left his struggling side six points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premier League.

Former Celtic, Borussia Dortmund and Scotland star Paul Lambert quit as player/manager of Livingston after a 1-0 defeat at home by Dunfermline left his struggling side six points adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premier League.

Dunfermline striker Mark Burchill took advantage of an horrendous error by Livi goalkeeper Ludovic Roy to score the only goal of the game in the 12th minute.

At the other end of the table, a turbulent week for second-placed Hearts ended in bitter disappointment when Chris Clark's late strike earned Aberdeen a 2-1 win at Tynecastle.

Aberdeen's goals were both somewhat fortunate, a Steven Pressley own goal cancelling out Calum Elliot's 9th-minute strike for Hearts before Clark's shot was defelected into the net off Scotland midfielder Paul Hartley with only three minutes left.

But there was no doubt that the visitors deserved the win, Hearts having been kept in the game by a fine performance from Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordan.

The setback leaves Graham Rix's side, who have been plagued by controversy this week over club owner Vladimir Romanov's interference in team selection, ten points behind leaders Celtic, who face Rangers on Sunday.

Third-placed Hibs failed to fully exploit their Edinburgh rivals' defeat as they were held to a goalless draw away to struggling Falkirk.

Rangers can now move back to third in the table if they beat Celtic in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox.

Elsewhere, a Richie Foran double earned Motherwell a 2-0 win over Dundee United, their first win of 2006, while Inverness Caledonian Thistle shared the points with Kilmarnock in a thrilling 3-3 draw in the capital of the Highlands.