Changeable weather conditions didn't deter a big crowd from heading down Warwick Road to see United take on a Grimsby side who knew that a win would bring them level on points at the top of the League Two table.

Michael Bridges came back in to the side with Trophy goal scoring hero Adam Murray taking a place on the bench to accommodate the switch in formation.

The opening was as tight as we would have expected with Carlisle keeping the ball well and with Grimsby defending high. The Mariners won the first corner of the game, in the 6th minute, and Woodhouse delivered it nicely bringing some head tennis in the box. A foul on Westwood brought an end to the brief flurry and United were able to clear.

There was some good football on show all round in the centre of the park with the respective back fours doing enough to make sure that the keepers remained untested. Arnison, Hawley and Bridges were doing some good stuff down the right whilst Holmes, Aranalde and Murphy were matching it on the left.

The 16th minute brought a half chance for a dogged Carlisle team as Hawley beat the offside trap when the ball came over the top. His cross towards the near post was easy for Mildenhall to claim as Bridges and Holmes hung back.

A lovely run by Bridges in the 21st minute brought half a shout for a penalty as he beat 4 players on the edge of the box before taking the slightest of taps on the ankle. He stayed on his feet and the Ref waved the play on, much to his dismay.

The Cumbrians had a good attack on 24 minutes as Hawley collected a pass inside the area. He shielded it before battling on the ground, eventually getting it wide to Arnison via a blocked Bridges shot. Mildenhall was able to take it on the up as Holmes was muscled out by the central defenders.

Chris Billy sent a superb ball in to the box in the 32nd minute only to find it cleared by an alert Mariners defence as chances remained elusive. Michael Bridges had the first shot on target of the afternoon in the 34th minute when he took an Aranalde pass in to his stride 16 yards out. Skipping past 2 challenges he drilled a low volley goalwards, but Mildenhall blocked it low before scooping up his own parry with Holmes and Hawley chasing in.

Grimsby had their own good moment in the 36th minute when Parkinson and Reddy took the ball out wide on the right. The initial cross was half cleared and Parkinson, who had a clear sight of the target, saw his shot come off the Referee and go behind for a goal kick.

The 39th minute saw Grimsby play some excellent, incisive football as they raced through with some slick passing, putting Goodfellow one on one with Westwood. The Carlisle keeper stood tall, beating away the powerful 15 yard shot and sending it for a corner.

Aranalde produced another of his awkward long throws in the 41st minute that was left bouncing on its own across the face of goal, and Mildenhall was delighted to be able to drop on to it. Holmes and Arnison were next to find accurate crosses without the decisive touch from the United strikers and Lumsdon had a 20 yard volley that was straight at Mildenhall, though the whistle had already been blown for an infringement.

The final chance of a very tense first half came when Gray was judged to have fouled Reddy on the edge of the Carlisle area. Woodhouse stepped up to take it but the wall did its job, sending it for a corner from the head of Holmes.

Half Time: United 0 - 0 Grimsby

The first minute of the second half brought chances at either end as Parkinson had a shot charged down by Livesey before Billy sent Hawley away on the break. He crossed it but Grimsby were able to clear as they flooded the box.

The 49th minute saw a glorious chance missed and then a wonderful goal scored as balls over the top caught the Mariners out on both occasions. The first one saw Hawley lose control 10 yards out as it ricocheted off his shin and Mildenhall scooped it off his toe. However, an almost carbon copy pass, this time 25 yards out, was taken down beautifully by Michael Bridges, setting up a great chance for the lob. He executed it to perfection, finding the back of the net as the Mariners started their inquest.

Marc Goodfellow dragged one wide in the 52nd minute as the visitors came in search of an equaliser and was disappointed with himself after Parkinson had done the hard work to create the chance.

Adam Murray came on for Livesey as the big defender struggled with an injury forcing a change in formation as Murphy slipped back in to the centre of the defence.

Rob Jones put a header wide from a Woodhouse corner on the hour mark as Grimsby enjoyed a better spell of possession but they were finding it difficult to do anything that would unsettle Westwood.

Adam Murray brought a diving save from Mildenhall in the 66th minute when Hawley laid the ball off for substitute Simon Hackney to cross in. The midfielder got up well for it, angling his 12 yard nod back across goal, but it was close enough to the keeper for him to pluck it from mid-air.

Westwood pulled off another great save in the 70th minute as a teasing cross in seemed to come off both Parkinson and Hackney. It was heading towards the bottom corner before a big hand stopped it going in.

United still looked the better team going forward and they opened things up once more in the 77th minute when Bridges played a cheeky pass in for Adam Murray. He beat his player before finding Hawley in the area. With Jones in front of him he tried to find the gap but the defender got his thigh in the way and sent it for a corner.

A double substitution in the 81st minute was the forerunner to two corners that saw the huge frame of Ben Futcher as the target. He made the second one his own but it was high and well over the bar as he dived at it 12 yards out.

The Mariners were looking for the head of Futcher as they went for the high balls in to the box option but Carlisle have had to face that on a number of occasions this season, and were equal to it. Toner was booked for an awful tackle on Adam Murray in the 90th minute as he went in high and late as the temperature started to rise and, in all honesty, he could easily have seen himself sent off for the style of the challenge.

A goalmouth scramble after another lofted ball in to the box saw Westwood block a shot on the line, followed by Glenn Murray thrashing it clear when Mendes had volleyed it as it dropped in front of him 16 yards out. It was the last chance of the game and United deservedly kept a clean sheet as Grimsby struggled to really create anything of note.

This was another superb performance from the team as they banished the memories of the disappointment of last week, earning a club record 7 straight victories in a row. It was disciplined and it was professional, and it was also exactly what the efforts on the pitch warranted. Promotion looks ever more likely but there are still some tough games ahead - made all the more mouth watering as the points gap at the top begins to look really comfortable indeed.

Goals

United - Bridges (49)

Bookings

Carlisle - Westwood (87)

Grimsby - McDermott (71), Toner (90)

Teams

United - Westwood, Arnison, Livesey (A Murray 52), Gray, Aranalde, Billy, Lumsdon, Murphy, Holmes (Hackney 65), Hawley, Bridges (G Murray 77). Not Used - Williams, Grand.

Grimsby - Mildenhall, McDermott (Futcher 81), Newey, Whittle, Bolland, Reddy, Goodfellow (Toner 82), Parkinson (Mendes 74), R Jones, G Jones, Woodhouse. Not Used - Kalala, Croft.

Travelling fans - 515