It was back to Brunton Park following two long away trips for the Blues on Saturday afternoon.
And a mammoth two-day pitch and stadium snow clearing effort from the club and the fans got the game on despite some terrible weather which had put the encounter in doubt earlier in the week.
Hallam Hope was chopped to the floor as United mounted their first attack and that gave Parkes the chance to send the ball into the mix. It went low, but two ricochets gave Bennett the opening to volley. He struck it well but Clarke shepherded it clear as it bounced off bodies.
It was a short-lived reprieve for the visitors as Nadesan beat the offside trap as he latched on to a lovely through ball from Jones. The striker pressed on and his pull back to Bennett brought a crisp drive which McKeown could only parry. Hope was on hand to sweep the loose pieces into the net as he calmly bagged his eleventh goal of the season.
Grimsby looked to respond and excellent footwork from Matt took him through two challenges inside the Carlisle box. The ball got stuck under his feet and Parkes and Bonham combined to smother the move.
A measured through ball from Devitt was almost inch perfect for Nadesan as Carlisle worked on the break, but Clarke slid in just in the nick of time before the striker could push on.
The action switched to midfield for a ten-minute spell but a corner for the visitors caused problems as Rose arrived late. He jumped high but it skimmed off his head and angled harmlessly behind.
Accuracy in the pass from Parkes sparked another United attack when he found Bennett on the run into the left channel. The forward went for a first time volley but an outsretched boot blocked his shot at source.
Town won a corner when they switched the ball from left to right quickly, just after the half hour, but it was too deep and Collins sent his header well wide.
Carlisle looked to reassert their authority and Devitt was unlucky as Hope and Bennett combined to carve a way through. The wide man stayed deep to unleash a 28-yard rocket which had McKeown well beaten. He was relieved to see it crash back to safety off the underside of his bar.
An even better chance came the way of the hosts when Devitt found Hill with a flighted corner. The centre back picked out Bennett with a cushioned header, but the best the unmarked forward could do was guide it straight into the stopper's hands.
Devitt tried to out-think the Grimsby keeper with another free kick just before the break from a wide right position. The cross was expected, but McKeown stepped across to deal with the near post shot when it came.
A scuffed shot from Summerfield punctuated what was a stuttering start to the second period but he was left with his head in his hands as his long-range effort spun off into the sky.
A route one free kick almost did the trick for the Mariners just past the hour when a touch from Matt sat nicely for Cardwell to volley. He did everything right but Bonham produced a wonderful point-blank save to preserve his clean sheet.
Grimsby pushed forward again as substitute Charles Vernam cut in from the left. He went for glory but it was straight at Bonham. Summerfield then overhit another effort, in what was a good spell for the away side, and the target remained untroubled.
The home side regained control of matters when Devitt sparked a good attack with a crossfield pass which had to be put behind. He took the resulting corner and Mark Ellis headed his first goal of the campaign into an empty net with McKeown out of the equation as he tumbled to the floor when he raced off his line.
Strong defending from Liddle prevented what appeared to be a certain goal for Grimsby when Vernam wound his way into the box. His cut back had two strikers interested but the defender combined with Bonham to take the shooting opportunity away.
United were awarded a penalty with five minutes left play when substitute John O'Sullivan was upended inside the box. The wide man had earned the moment, having started the move when he robbed possession on the half way line, but McKeown kept the deficit to just two goals with a decent full stretch save from Hallam Hope's spot kick.
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Goals
Carlisle United - Hope (3), Ellis (72)
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Bookings
Carlisle United - Hill (62)
Grimsby Town - Dixon (41), Berrett (45)
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Teams
Carlisle United - Bonham, Liddle, Ellis, Hill, Parkes, Devitt (Campbell-Ryce 80), Joyce, Jones, Hope, Bennett (O'Sullivan 73), Nadesan (Twardek 68). Subs - Gray, Grainger, Lambe, Stockton.
Grimsby Town - McKeown, Dixon (Hall-Johnson 44), Clarke, Collins, Berrett (Hooper 81), Rose, Mills, Cardwell (Vernam 67), Summerfield, Jaiyesimi, Matt. Subs - Killip, Osborne, Suliman, Dembele.
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Referee - Scott Oldham
Attendance - 4,151 (143 away fans)
