SCOTT BROWN had the perfect answer when asked if Rangers skipper Lee McCulloch was right in saying there is little difference between the standard of football in League One and the Premiership.

"I've never played in League One, so it's hard to know. But, I'd be surprised if it is [the same standard]," was his succinct response.

Any bid by McCulloch to get under the skin of the runaway top division leaders missed by the distance which currently exists between the two clubs.

And when asked how hard it is to win in the Premiership compared to in League One, manager Neil Lennon followed his captain's lead.

He replied: "Whatever league you win, it's a difficult thing to do because you have to be consistent, and try to be at your best for 38 games in a season.

"Queen of the South won it [the Division One title] last year, quite convincingly, and they've struggled this season.

"So there's obviously a gulf between League One and the Championship.

"Partick Thistle have come up this year, having won the Championship quite well, and I wouldn't say they've had a brilliant season.

"So there is a gulf between League One and the Championship, and there is another gulf between the Championship and the Premiership."

Lennon and Brown are much more focused on maintaining their unbeaten run as they pursue their goal of three titles in a row.

And Brown acknowledges returning to face his former club Hibs at Easter Road will test them to the limit.

He still has happy memories of his years there, and recalled the mixed emotions when he played against Celtic just weeks before his already-announced transfer to Parkhead.

He said: "Darren O'Dea and me were arguing. He was saying: 'I'll see you at the end of the season when you come to Celtic.'

"I was giving as good as I got. Five minutes later I scored, and what went through my mind was to run to him.

"But I saw all the fans, Hibs fans and Celtic fans, cheering.

"I didn't know how to celebrate, or if I should celebrate. Both sets of fans were excellent that day."