National League One, after all, is what counts.
But there are ways and means of suffering a defeat, and, worryingly, this was a massively flawed performance from a team that ought to be capable of so much more - even with so many players sidelined through injury.
Anthony Farrell's side started well enough at Cougar Park, dominating the early exchanges and taking a 12th-minute lead through skipper Damian Ball's incisive touchdown.
But back-to-back Keighley tries midway through the first-half gave Peter Roe's side the momentum and by the time the final hooter sounded Fax were so badly disjointed it was difficult to believe it was the same line-up that had kicked off 80 minutes earlier.
The failings were familiar – too little punch up front, too much dropped ball and, late in the game, too many penalties.
Throw in some uncharacteristic individual defensive errors and Keighley, who had not won a competitive game until yesterday, could hardly have been given more encouragement.
All in all, it bore a little too much resemblence to Fax's last defeat on the same ground, in the Arriva Trains Cup two years ago.
There is no denying that Fax still have time to get it right before the real business starts.
But with a highly-rated Leigh side due at the Shay in just three weeks for the league opener, the clock is ticking.
It had all seemed so comfortable early on, as the visitors dominated the opening exchanges and twice almost claimed tries, with the right flank combination of Andy Kirk and James Haley both going close.
Ball finally got the scoreboard moving, running a typically intelligent line onto Joel Penny's inside pass and slicing through to score.
Dominic Brambani, who kept his place at stand-off with the returning Dean Lawford confined to the bench, missed the conversion and things promptly started to go wrong.
Straight from the restart, Keighley winger Alex Rowe made a scintillating run down the left and picked out centre Mick Fogarty with the scoring pass.
Barry Eaton added the extras and the Cougars promptly made it a double, Richard Knight and Fogarty combining to send stand-off Scott Nixon racing clear.
Eaton's goal made it 12-4, with Fax struggling to get their hands on enough possession to threaten their hosts.
Fax went some way towards restoring order just before the half hour, with Kirk scoring a fine try from Penny's pass.
And when the little Australian scored the try of the match straight from the restart, beating a clutch of defenders with a typical weaving run from the half way line, Fax were ahead at 14-12.
Keighley continued to press though, and it took a tremendous effort from debutant full-back Nicky Walker to foil winger Sam Gardner four minutes before the break.
It was only a temporary let off, with Gardner scoring on the stroke of half-time after centre Matt Foster had broken clear.
Trailing 18-14, Fax needed a strong start to the second-half.
They didn't get it.
A couple of minutes had elapsed when Walker scrambled back to stop Eaton's 40/20 attempt but could not avoid putting a foot in touch.
Keighley produced a set play from the scrum, with Matt Bramald's cross field run opening a gaping hole for Fogarty to score his second try of the game.
Eaton converted and also added a penalty in the 52nd minute, by which time Fax had Australian centre Dayne Neirinckx in the sin-bin after a touchline dust-up.
The shorthanded visitors scored their fourth try of the game through Walker soon after, the teenager taking Andy Hobson's off-load close to the line.
At 26-18, the next score was going to be crucial and it went to Keighley.
Hobson conceded the crucial penalty and substitute Andy Feather romped over in the ensuing set of tackles.
Eaton's conversion took the Cougars out to 32-18 with
14 minutes to go and from then on there was only going to be one winner.
Phil Stephenson's 73rd minute try, and a late Eaton penalty after Hobson had transgressed once more, merely underlined Keighley's obvious superiority.