Published: 24/08/2010 21:54 - Updated: 26/08/2010 16:15

FORGET Simon Cowell and his mob it was the ‘ex’ factor which cut Blues to shreds in Kent on Tuesday.

No less than FIVE former Bishop’s Stortford players, including two ex-captains, lined up for Dartford.

 

Adding salt to the wound both Danny Harris and debutant Charlie Sheringham were on target against their old club.

It was Blues’ second successive 3-0 defeat, while they also missed a second stright penalty.

 

Harris, bombed out by Stortford nearly a year ago, opened the scoring on 19 minutes.

 

He fired in after Lee Burns had flicked on.

Stortford should have equalised two minutes later when Dartford’s former Blues skipper Paul Goodacre brought down Matt Judge.

 

But Judge missed Stortford’s second penalty in successive matches, striking the ball low to ex-Stortford keeper Andy Young’s right who pulled off a top save.

 

Two minutes before the break, the hosts went 2-0 up when Sheringham headed in from Ryan Hayes’ whipped in cross.

 

On 52 minutes, Blues won a free-kick after Sheringham fouled Duane Jackman. However, Reece Prestedge’s set-piece was well saved by Young.

 

Minutes later, Sanchez Ming, returning from a groin injury, went down in a heap but the referee waved away Stortford’s appeals for a penalty.

Young made a fantastic full-length save to deny Blues sub Jason Mason just minutes after the midfielder had replaced the subdued Max Lette Jallow.

 

Blues boss Mark Simpson gave a debut to new signing George Daly with less than 20 minutes to go. He has been released by League Two Wycombe Wanderers.

A great tackle from Blues skipper Matt Jones denied Sheringham, while Aidan Palmer had a shot parried by Young at the other end.

 

The Kent side grabbed a third on 80 minutes when sub Carl Rook struck after Blues keeper Nicky Morgan spilled a free-kick by Tom Champion, another ex-Stortford player and captain.

Young denied Jackman late on as Blues slipped from 4th to 10th in two games after two defeats.

 

Simpson said: “Harris scored and we went up the other end and got a penalty – then we missed it again. It’s frustrating.

“We played better than we did at Eastleigh [a 2-1 win] and we have come away with nothing.”